Sweet, sweet Louie

On Wednesday afternoon, I came home from school and walked Louie as usual. He seemed fine, but after we came in the house, something was obviously wrong. After just a few minutes, I put him in the back seat of the car and took him to the vet. They thought it appeared that he had had a stroke or something. His temperature and blood pressure dropped quickly, he lost his reflexes, and within the hour, he stopped breathing. Louie was just two in June.

Allen talked to the vet by phone, and after doing a necropsy, she said while the way he presented looked neurological to her, it looked more like poisoning internally. We just can't imagine what he could have gotten into unless it was mushrooms along the sidewalk where we always walked him. I just am having a hard time thinking that was it because lots of dogs walk on our street, and they are fine, it appears. I suppose we won't know definitively what happened.

For me, I don't think the shock of it has really worn off yet. One minute he was fine, and then something was terribly wrong. Thank you to our family and friends who have sent us notes and messages, cards, and even flowers. Our kind neighbors invited us over last night to cheer us up. We just really miss Louie. He provided structure to our day with three or four scheduled walks a day. Louie was our companion, sitting near us or on us all of the time, and he made us laugh with his antics. He could shake, sit, and come, and he'd do most anything for a treat. But his best trick was putting himself to bed in his crate when he knew we were leaving or going to bed. And yes, he was a thief and a pain in the neck sometimes. Allen says he's probably stealing St. Peter's underwear now.

We have been picking up toys and treats for the last few days. His chews were everywhere in the house. It is very sad to throw those things out, but when we get another puppy, we will begin a new collection, I'm sure. Allen talked to the breeder who said that she doesn't have a litter on the way right now, but that she will put us on her list when she does. That will happen with cooler weather.

I am headed to my sewing room to work on a project this afternoon, but it will be just me -- no Louie to hop up on the sewing stool next to me. Louie was such a special little friend.