“There it is”, she said, my wife pointing to the top of a display counter in the local pet store that contained separate compartments for several animals, mainly small dogs. What she was pointing to was a fairly recently born, small, hairy dog that had not the least interest in peeking at us.
I asked my wife if she was sure she wanted another dog, since we recently had acquired two other young pups. She assured me she was certain, her logic being that if we took one out for a walk there would still be two at home to keep each other company. I was afraid to ask whether that same logic would not dictate that we have a total of four pups, to also have a companion for the one we would be taking for a walk outside, but I was terrified to even raise that suggestion.
After a short fainting spell when I was introduced to the price tag for this miniature animal, away we went with the new kid on the block who originally was named Kiwi but was later re-named Lucky Lou because the former name sounded too close to our existing dog named Kilo, who was waiting at home to meet his new house buddy.
Our new acquisition was nowhere nearly as pretty or cute as the two that preceded her, but the three got along well and loved to chase each other around the living room. The new introduction was quite fast and favored her soulmates rather than her homeowners.
Time changes most things in life and Lucky Lou would not escape that reality. Once her knot of hair sticking straight up from her head was disposed of in favor of a “puppy cut,” the cuteness shone through. But her personality never really changed. She rarely showed emotion or interest in humans, including her owners, but her loyalty and love were evident by her laying at our feet, snoozing on our laps, sleeping on a round pillow in our bedroom, or waiting patiently for one or both of us at the front door hoping for some human accompaniment.
Time changed the landscape again, this time when both of Lucky Lou’s companions died within a short time of each other, losing their lives in my wife’s lap while we raced to the vet’s office just a few minutes from the house.
It was remarkable how much prettier Lucky Lou grew to be after that loss, and how strong the ties between humans and animal became as time passed. This was despite some hard times, as time took control and caused this little animal to suffer coughing and gagging spells which the vet attempted to cure but was unable to because of a collapsed trachea. That led to a dark night when we were unable to comfort her and made the almost impossible decision to take her to an emergency pet facility where we asked for her to be calmed, medicated and ultimately euthanized.
This last part of the story is still difficult for me to communicate. As she was taken from us by the vet just prior to the final step in the process, she appeared to open her eyes and look at me with a quizzical look that seemed to ask whether I too was giving up on her. I almost died. She did that day, and I have and will never forget that moment in my life.
I never dreamed I had the emotional capacity to love a goofy little animal that much…I guess I just got Lucky.