LUCY LOU

Lucy Lou

It’s been three weeks since I held Lucy Lou in my arms as she took her final breath and her valiant heart quit beating. Everywhere I turn I miss my faithful companion of twelve years. It was happenstance that my life even intersected with Lucy Lou. I just happened to be at the Dogwood Animal Hospital talking with Cindy, the vet, when Lucy Lou was rescued and brought in by Sharon Cravens, who is president of Best Friends Sanctuary Inc.

The last thing I planned was to have a house dog, but at Cindy’s insistence went to see this abandoned dog. My heart went out to the bedraggled lump of matted fur, which was trembling in fear despite Sharon’s loving touch. I looked into dark haunted eyes and spoke gently telling this shivering animal that everything was alright now that she had been rescued. Lucy Lou whimpered, reached out, and licked my hand.  Sharon and I were both convinced this dog was someone’s pet. Two weeks later, I got a call from Sharon. No one had come forward to claim her even though posters had been put up and the police had canvassed the area for a couple of miles.  If Sharon’s home hadn’t already been overcrowded with dogs needing homes her family would have gladly adopted Lucy Lou. On my end I was busy getting ready to head to Florida as my husband’s younger brother had suddenly died. There was no way I could take in a dog. Remembering how Lucy Lou had responded to me, Sharon said she would keep Lucy Lou if I would be willing to adopt Lucy Lou and I agreed.

A month later from the time I had first set eyes on Lucy Lou (the name Sharon’s daughter had given her and what I kept), I went to pick up Lucy Lou wondering if she would even remember me. As soon as Lucy Lou saw me it was as though we had never been parted. It was hard for Sharon to say good-bye as they had gotten attached to Lucy Lou. I was impressed by the big heartedness of animal volunteers who not only rescue animals that are deserted, but go the second mile keeping these neglected animals safe until they can be adopted to someone they know will give them a good home.

Three months passed before Lucy Lou’s confidence and true personality emerged realizing she had found her forever home. Wherever I went Lucy Lou became my shadow. Despite being discarded by a human, Lucy Lou was quick to trust anyone who entered our home. Visitors found her a whirlwind dancing on hind legs anxious to welcome them with doggy kisses, yet Lucy Lou would patiently posed for all kinds of pictures knowing she’d be rewarded with treats.

It didn’t matter how big the outside dogs were, Lucy Lou let them know in short order that she was top dog and was quick to boss them around. Even when the snow was deep for her short legs, my feisty dog loved playing in it. She was an endless bundle of energy. While Lucy Lou could play rough with the big dogs, she also had a gentle side.

Nights found her curled up in bed with me or lying on the floor close to my feet snoozing when I had to spend the day in the recliner due to increased pain. Every time I left the house, Lucy Lou would lie on the bed facing the door waiting for me to come home. When my husband had open heart surgery and a stroke resulting in becoming disabled, even though Lucy Lou had never been trained, she would bark and alert me whenever Dana had a seizure. When he fell and I had to get help, Lucy Lou would lie beside Dana licking his hand to keep him calm while I called for an ambulance.

This intelligent mixed poodle/schnauzer became the fiber of our household. She loved running in the woods or rolling on the ground while I worked in the garden and when I cooked in the kitchen there always was two dark brown eyes watching me intently. I began and ended my days with Lucy Lou by my side. It was while I was at my computer preparing my weekly get well cards to send out that Lucy Lou, whose furry body was flopped on the floor beside me, gave me a brainstorm. We had a friend battling cancer and none of my cards seemed appropriate. Why not pretend Lucy Lou was writing? What would she say? And so began a special correspondence between our friend and Lucy Lou that quickly caught on. You can tell a dog anything. During Clayton’s last hospital stay, I took Lucy Lou to see him. His face lit up as soon as he saw Lucy Lou and the small room was filled with laughter as she gave out lots of doggy kisses.  I also started a blog of Lucy Lou.

Time passed swiftly and this dog, whose heart was bigger than her body, slowly started slowing down with age. I dreaded the thought of having to say good-bye, but when Lucy Lou became nearly blind, deaf, and it became harder for her to get around I knew it was time to let her go.  As the autumn leaves began to fade, I took Lucy Lou back to where it all began so many years ago at the vet’s office. There Cindy and one of her staff put Lucy Lou to sleep for the final time. Wrapped snugly in a towel and her blanket, we buried Lucy Lou in a flower garden beside the stream and woods where she loved to run and play. This spring a bird bath surrounded by a ring of blooming daffodils will mark the grave of a very special dog, whose life made a lasting impression on all who came in contact with her. Even though there is a huge empty spot in our lives without Lucy Lou the many memories we shared together will always warm our heart.

Doggy Autumn

QUESTION:

What does a doggy do when autumn comes bringing chilly rainy weather that flares up the arthritis in your hip?

ANSWER:

Curl up on whatever bed is handy and have a doggy snooze.

A doggy Christmas

A dog has to watch herself during the holidays.  There is a lot of excitement with humans everywhere.  I love playing with the children and checking out new babies, although the adults are rather fussy about me giving it doggy kisses.  But it gets kinda crowded under foot where I'm at so I have to be extra vigilant not to get stepped on or tripped over- especially when it comes to the little people.

Even though I get lots of attention from the kids (the baby sure does find me fascinating and we would have a grand time together if only the adults didn't interfere), my Mistress gets so caught up with her grandchildren that she tends to ignore me.  Imagine!  She stays busy cooking, talking, and playing with the grand-kids until she forgets I exist.  I could starve right under her nose.

Do I sound jealous?  You bet.  Do I take it lying down?  No way!  I just watch and push my furry body around until she notices me making sure to claim my spot beside her every chance I get.   And if things get too bad, I'll hop up on another lap to find some comfort.

After all, I'll still be around when all the people are gone, the house gets quiet again- when a dog can thing straight-, and my Mistress needs some doggy love. 

Whew!  I need a doggy nap. I'm plum worn out. 

Lucy Lou 

Springtime Madness

Springtime madness is when us dogs go crazy trying to keep up with all the new smells of growing things.  Each day brings a new adventure outside.

I run in circles in the freedom of the outdoors, roll on the soft new green grass, and check out anything that moves until at last out of breath I plop down on the ground.  My Mistress says that's when I act like a heathen.  Really I'm just being myself, but I don't tell her that.

But the most fun of all is playing with my best friend, Lady.  She is a mommy dog to me letting me chew all over her fur to my heart's content as I growl and act ferocious sometimes swatting back at me with her huge paws.  Springtime is a great doggy time to be alive.

Autumn News

Hi,

I'm finally back again after a long summer snooze. It seemed like every time I turned around my Mistress was taking the Master to the doctor or hospital. I tell you I was starting to get quite bored and lonely as I always stay indoors whenever my Mistress is gone. I'm not about to be outside when I needed inside to guard this house. Nobody is going to come in and bother things when my Mistress is gone. I'm the big brave guard dog- of course it helps to know that the big dogs are outside and any intruder has to go through them first. But you don't want to mess around with me. I can make all kinds of noise and my growl is rather fierce, even if I do say so myself.

The other week the oldest dog, Sandy, was put to sleep and buried in the back yard. It was a sad time for my Mistress as Sandy was ancient having been around for sixteen years. All we dogs were careful not to run Sandy over when she'd hobble off the back porch as she was real slow. Don't tell anyone, but Sandy made messes where no self respecting dog would like right on the porch, but nobody scolded her as she couldn't help it.

Meanwhile I have Lady to pal around with and play with. She and I are good friends. Lady will lie down and wrestle with me, although her large size doesn't intimidate me in the least. I just bark and jump around on my back two feet to get her attention whenever I want to expend some energy that has been pent up inside my furry body for too long.

Well I'll mosey along now and see if anything interesting is happening outside. Just because I'm an indoor dog doesn't mean that I don't keep up with what goes on around this place.

See you later,
Lucy Lou

Springtime Blahs

It has been quite boring around my house lately.

My mistress was in the hospital with our Master, who had to have open heart surgery and it seemed like she was gone forever.

One day my Mistress was here like usual and then after talking on the phone she madly dashed out the door and only came back for quick visits. I know that my Master needed her, but I sure did miss her.

It was an exciting day when my Mistress finally brought the Master back home again. Since then he's been here at the house taking lots of naps. I spend my days staying close to my Mistress or whenever the Master lays down, I curl up beside him in bed and take a snooze too. It sure has been a different spring from last year spending most of my time outside. Oh well, as long as my Mistress is here that is all that matters.

Now if you'll excuse me it's time to go jump up on the bed with the Master and take another dog nap.

Lucy Lou

Winter Blues

We've been having so much cold weather around here this winter and snowstorms every time I turn around until a dog needs something else to help keep a furry body warm. So this morning I checked out my Mistress gloves and scarf that I see her put on every time she ventures outdoors. I must admit they are cozy and fuzzy- almost as nice as my fur. I wonder if she will mind if I borrow them.

Lately I've been inside most of the time curling up on the bed with my Mistress at night (staying cozy & warm feeling her heating blanket under my body), or curling up on her lap when she sits close by the fire, and snoozing most of the days away. What else can a dog do?

Wake me up when it gets warm outside, okay?

Lucy Lou

Snow Dog

I am the snow dog!

I love to play and run in the snow with the big dogs.

First I get Lady's attention..,


then I circle around..,

and leap up to make sure that she sees how big and fierce I am..,

and then I pounce and down she goes. Am I good or what?

Best snow doggy friends.

Breakfast Buddies

Hello!

I thought I'd show you how I start each day.

Here I am keeping a close eye on the Master as he cooks up his breakfast.

I am ready to spring up at a moment's notice.

At last breakfast is ready.

Talk about anticipation...

I carefully take the meaty (or rather fatty) morsel from the Master's hand.

Am I lady or what?

I get to eat what he doesn't want- the best parts.

Talk about whisker lickin good!

Sometimes I even stand up on my hind legs to make sure that I get every crumb.

Then I wait patiently for the next piece.

Oh, what a good dog am I!

Lucy Lou

Summer Fun

Hello!

Check out my cute doggy smile. Am I photogenic or what?
Really it was because I was jealous- just don’t tell anyone else okay?

My Master fell in love with an abandoned golden German shepherd and came home all excited to tell my Mistress about her. It was all he could talk about. He even ignored me. Well, without asking my opinion- not that I am hard hearted or anything as if any critter should feel sorry for abandoned animals it would be me, but it was the idea you see- they ended up bringing Lady back home to stay with the rest of us dogs.

And then if that wasn’t bad enough my Mistress started taking all kinds of pictures of this other dog. I do have to admit that Lady sat real still for my Mistress while she kept snapping pictures of her, but when my Mistress kept sweet talking to Lady and totally ignoring me, I finally had enough and got some attention by whining a bit. I do know down deep inside that no matter how many dogs my Master and Mistress might get I still will always be the favorite of my Mistress, but still it doesn’t hurt to remind her once in awhile.

Well then if my Mistress didn’t go and sit me right in the middle of a bunch of her flowers- quite an honor let me tell you usually if any of us dogs start to walk through her flowers she scolds us and shoos us away- so I sat real still and gave my best doggy smile while my Mistress took some pictures of me. Of course, just between you and me, the one reason I was so anxious to have my picture taken is because when my Mistress is done snapping with her funny little silver box thing that she holds up in front of her face is that I get a doggy treat for being such a good dog. I was determined that if that new dog was going to get a treat so was I. You can believe it that I don’t miss out on any treats going around.

I really don’t mind having another dog around as it gives me another doggy person to play with. No matter how lazy those big dogs get outside I can usually rouse one of them to play with me. When I am outside I like to run around and sniff at everything.

I’ve really have had lots of fun playing in the dirt as it has been dry where I live. You wouldn’t believe how dirty and dusty I can get. I lie down and roll around and dust myself real good while kicking up my heels. I always shake myself off like a good dog should, but my Mistress still shakes her head over all the dirt that I manage to drag inside despite my short summer haircut.

Well I need to go now and see what all those other dogs are doing outside. I don’t want to miss any fun. See you later!

Lucy Lou

Puppies and more Puppies

Hello!

You wouldn’t believe all the excitement and uproar around our place lately. My Mistress rescued six puppies!

Those critters are the noisiest fur balls around. Unless they are taking a puppy nap they are in constant motion: fighting, playing, falling over their own paws, running into stuff, jumping, and yelping. At times it seems like there are a dozen puppies instead of just six. I know I never was that noisy when I was a pup.

And even though my Mistress put them in an enclosed garden where they would be safe do you think they stay there and behave like a decent pup should? Oh no. They wiggle out any cracks or holes that they can find so my Mistress and Master have to keep blocking up places so they can’t get out. Then those pups poke their heads through the lattice holes and get stuck every time you turn around. You would think after getting wedged in a tight spot one time that it would teach them a lesson not to put their head through the holes again. When they get stuck and can’t move they put up such a racket until my Mistress rescues them that it hurts my ears. You wouldn’t believe the clamor one pup can make not to mention six. If nothing else they should make good watch dogs when they grow up.

Shep, Natasha, Sandy, and I are worn out helping our Mistress keep track of them by guarding the fenced in area until there wasn’t any time left to train those pups on how to be a civilized dog. And if any pups needed trained those six sure did. They kept us so busy until we were running in circles. About the time I’d go to take a well deserved nap one of those pups would start hollering again. I tell you I am plum dog tired.

After five days of babysitting those pups Best Friends, our local animal sanctuary, came and took them. I have to confess that it did touch my doggy heart to see those tiny critters leave, but what a relief! I know that they are in a safe place with someone, who loves dogs watching over them. And now I can finally take a dog nap without being disturbed, although my ears are still ringing from all the din of the past five days. I just hope that my Mistress doesn’t find any more pups needing rescued any time soon. I’d rather have some peace and quiet where a dog can doze the day away if so inclined.

Well I’ll sign off now. I need to take another doggy nap to catch up on some of my sleep.

Lucy Lou

Dog Days of Summer

Hello… yawn… yawn.
Sorry, you’ll have to excuse me,
but these dog days of summer when the weather is
hot it is such a perfect time to snooze.
y..a..W..N, now where was I?

Oh yes. It is time for me to update you on the latest happenings of my doggy life. Sorry if I’m running late, but then I certainly am not in any hurry to do anything now-a-days. The dog days of summer- did you notice that even a season of the year is named for us dogs?- is my most favorite time of the year when a dog can sleep the day away.

As you can see from my latest picture I can go to sleep in just about any position, but I don’t want to get ahead of my story. During these dog days of summer I spend most of the day taking doggy naps even though I get to stay in the air conditioned house while the other big dogs outside hide under the porch to stay cool and sleep. Everything is slow an easy around here that is except for Mamma- my Mistress.

Like I said before my mamma is real fussy about her house. Especially when it comes to fleas my mamma gets really uptight. The way my mamma battles fleas you’ve not seen anything like it in all your born days. Between you and me, I have to admit that fleas are
nasty little critters that makes a dog itch and scratch.

Each day during the summer at least once, sometimes twice, my mamma will call me and I run and hop up onto the bed. That’s when my mamma really goes to work. She brushes and combs each inch of my fur checking out each crevice and crack in search of fleas. As soon as she spies one she’ll nab it and drown it in a small bowl of soapy water. She doesn’t just comb me just one time mind you, but maybe three or four times rolling me from side to side. And if the fleas are bad my mamma will grunt and groan making all sorts of huffing and puffing sounds as she works.

I’ve learned to just relax and let her work me over. Between combing out my fur and rubbing my tummy every little bit, I get a complete doggy massage. And if she pulls my fur my mamma always apologizes. By the time my mamma is done searching for fleas, I don’t have any itchy spots and I’m completely relaxed. In fact my mamma says that I sometimes sleep so soundly as she works me over that I snore. I was sound asleep when she took this picture of me.
Talk about having a snoozy good doggy time! All a dog has to do to get a great body massage is get some fleas in their fur and have a Mistress like my mamma. Am I luck or what?
Well now it’s time for another doggy nap. YAWN. See you later-

Lucy Lou

Dirty Dog Versus Clean Dog

Hello everyone!

Have I ever been having fun playing in the mud? Just check out my paws. You wouldn’t believe how dirty and muddy one dog can get.

You know the saying, “April showers bring May flowers”, well it has been May and June showers as well. My Mistress keeps a small towel at the front and back door to wipe off my paws when it rains, and I’m trained to stop right inside the door before running though the house, but sometimes when I get my entire legs all covered in mud- not to mention my tail and body- my Mistress will shake her head, make all kinds of noises, and runs water for a bath. My Mistress is so fussy about a little bit of mud don’t you think?

For myself I don’t see anything wrong in enjoying all the mud that a dog can get into. The best mud is down in the woods at the stream. Us dogs love to go there and play, especially on a hot day. You can make all kinds of splashes in the water and dig around in the cool mud along the bank. I even lay down in the stream sometimes just like Sandy does. Or else when you are all wet and your fur is soaked through it is lots of fun to roll around on the ground to dry out. Dirt or leaves is better than grass any day for something like that.

I do shake my fur off, promise, before I come inside or at least when I think of it unless I get distracted by play, but it still never satisfies my Mistress. She still thinks I am a dirty mess. I know that if she would only wait I’d eventually dry out and leaving some doggy paw prints around the house would not be the end of the world, but my Mistress gets in quite a tizzy every time she sees me covered in mud. I even try to hide when I hear the water running in the back bathroom as I’ve figured out that is the sign of a bath to come, but my Mistress always finds me anyway. While my Mistress keeps saying that I am the dirtiest dog around, I personally think I am the cleanest. What do you think?

Lucy Lou

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all my friends!

Early Easter Sunday morning I followed my Mistress around all her flower beds as she cut daffodils to make a spring bouquet to give to the wives of my beloved friend, Clayton, and his brother, Cecil, who both died of cancer.

I confess that I don’t have much time to sit around now-a-days and think about the loss of my dear friend as the world outside my house is coming alive with all kinds of interesting plants poking up out of the ground that I have to sniff and check out every time I go outside. In fact I love being outdoors this time of the year racing around in mad circles for sheer joy as my Mistress plays in the dirt in her flower beds- something that she doesn’t allow me to do- or snooze in the warm sunshine on the porch when my Mistress rocks in her rocking chair and drinks a cup of hot tea. Of course when my Mistress is occupied, I find myself a nice soft spot or an interesting smell and start doing some digging myself. After all I am a dog and what dog doesn’t like to dig?

When the Master tilled up a new garden spot in front of the woods all us dogs went crazy running and rolling around in the soft dirt. And when our Mistress started planting seeds were we ever curious about what she was doing. She was quite particular and didn’t want us near her. Talk about suspense! Every little bit we would sneak close and sniff at the dirt where my Mistress was working, but we never could figure out what her intense fascination with certain spots of the garden was all about. Even those small colored packets that she guarded real close didn’t give us a clue though I sniffed them every chance I got. It was quite mysterious let me tell you. I sat with the big dogs and closely watched every move my Mistress made, but I am still baffled.

Meanwhile the highlight of every day is running through the woods with the big dogs. I have to run double time to keep up with their long legs that as twice as long as mine, but I never let them leave me behind. No sir. I may be smaller, but I have lots of energy.

Well I need to sign off here and check out what the other dogs are doing outside. See you later.

Lucy Lou

The Snow Dog

This is me, Lucy Lou, the snow dog and what I look like after I’ve been outside in the snow. This winter we have had lots of white stuff falling down from the sky. I never know from one day to the next if I will see the ground or whether it will be covered up when I go out. Now I don’t mind a little bit of snow. It fact it is fun to play in, although it gets cold after awhile, but when the snow is up to my ears it is hard to walk in much less do my business outdoors.

Those big German Shepherds that tower over me are like huskies. No matter how deep the white stuff gets, Shep and Natasha roll around in it and play for hours. They don’t seem to mind staying outdoors all the time either. Of course their fur is coarse and thick. The hair on their stomach is two inches long. They are like furry rugs. No wonder they never seem to feel the cold.

But me, after playing around a bit, I am ready to head back indoors. I make my way up to the porch and bark to let my Mistress know that I am ready to come inside. Hearing the front door open is a mighty welcome sound to a cold and shivering dog.

As soon as I am inside my Mistress grabs a towel that she keeps handy and begins to work me over. She calls me a snowball and by then I feel like one. My fur for some reason seems to cling to the snow and I will have miniature ice balls all over my body, especially around my paws. I shake my body all over to help her dislodge the snow.

As soon as my Mistress is done rubbing me down, I head over to the woodstove to feel the warm heat and then circle around to either my chair or the master’s big chair. Both have a soft fuzzy blanket covering them. I tell you doggy heaven is snuggling down in a warm blanket and having a good snooze as my fur dries out.

Happy New Year

Hello Everyone!

I have decided to write in my doggy blog at least once a month so that you can keep up with my four-footed life. I’ll start out with a clean confession. That’s me above in all my furry glory right after my Mistress has given me a bath. It’s not the best picture of me ever taken I grant you, but my Mistress takes pictures of me at some of the oddest times.

Each week I get a bath whether I need one or not. Personally I could do without so many baths, but my Mistress has this thing she thinks I need to stay squeaky clean. I will admit that by the end of the week after digging holes whenever I am outside, rolling around on the ground- preferably in plain dirt, and roughhousing with the other outside dogs that I do smell a bit doggy, but who wouldn’t?

Anyway each weekend I hear my Mistress get out my personal tub and start to run the water. That’s when I know that it is time to hide. Once all my fur is drenched in the warm water it feels kinda good. In the winter, instead of making me stand in the big regular tub that is cold on my paws, my Mistress will wash me right in the warm water. Does she ever scrub my fur right down to the skin! She always uses dog shampoo and I end up smelling like some kind of a fruit- not my choice by any means- then she rinses me off until I am a dripping soppy mess. At that point I always can’t wait until I am lifted up onto a pile of soft towels and my Mistress begins to dry my fur. Talk about a complete body rub!

Then the best part comes. Because it is winter, my Mistress doesn’t want me to catch a cold, and I have been such a good dog not fighting taking a bath, she will wrap my entire body up in a couple of towels until all that shows is my nose and sit down with me in her recliner close by the warm fire. I snuggle and snooze close to my Mistress as she rocks back and forth all wrapped up safe and sound as my fur slowly dries. Now that’s what you call doggy heaven.

Dear Maryanna,

Dear Maryanna,

Hello!

My Mistress and I were so excited to get the postcard from you in the mail the other day. I am relieved to hear that you are doing better and maybe will get to come home sometime in September. I would love to see how your six legs work. Be sure and let me know all about the airplane trip. It sounds scary.

Don’t you think that I look dressed up for a wedding? I think I look pretty fancy myself, but everyone left me behind when it came time for Dwight’s wedding. You wouldn’t believe all the noise and confusion around this place. It kept me quite busy to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. One of the boys poured ice water on Dwight when he got a shower before getting ready for his wedding and his friends kept him up all hours of the night. I hardly got any sleep alerting everyone to their comings and goings.

My Mistress brought some wedding cake home, but I never got one bite of it. Can you imagine? After all I did to keep the place safe while they were gone too. My Mistress went to bed as soon as she came home after the wedding and everybody else ate the cake. I did pig out on leftovers throughout the entire weekend though.

Everything has been real quiet since all our company left. My Mistress was in bed most of the week so I got caught up on my sleep. She is having trouble with one of her toes swelling and has to keep putting her foot up. I think that if she would grow claws and fur like me it would help protect her toes better. Do you have claws? Claws come in real handy when you need to climb or jump. They give you a better grip. I don’t see how my Mistress has made it this long without claws. Humans sure are different than dogs.

Sarah Annabelle, the long-haired calico cat loves to tease me. She will jump up where I can’t reach her. One of her favorite spots is on the kitchen counter. No matter how many times my Mistress shoos her off the counter as soon as my Mistress isn’t looking that fat cat will jump right back up. I have tried, but I can’t jump up that high. I don’t think it is fair for Annabelle to sit up there and look down at me. So I get comfortable where I can keep an eye on Annabelle and wait for her to sneak back down. Then I try to pounce on her. Even though she is quite aggravating at times I share my water dish with her. I growl though if she sticks her nose in my food dish. There is a limit to what a dog can take.

Take care on your end and I will keep an eye on the cats here.
Lots of doggy hugs,

Lucy Lou