We have to let Mr. Lou go.

It is with a sad and devastated heart that I announce that Mr. Lou will be put down today at 4:00 p.m. After extensive discussion with Lynn, with his rescue, Maryanne, and another Pyr expert, for the safety of all, it's our only option.

He has been extremely protective of us as time goes on or he has real fears. His behaviour has been suppressed for so long that as he becomes comfortable with us, it is changing for the worst and all issues are coming to the surface.

At first we thought it was just the mailman or that Ed was afraid of dogs but it has become any people of any size, gender or even those he already knows. It was suggested that he senses our underlying tension as we anticipate what might happen. However, as I see his behaviour changing, I don't think it has anything to do with us but rather Lou's fears. My instincts are pretty good. I know that now.

Another line of thought, MA suggested, is he is not pure. He may be mixed with another extremely protective/territorial dog such as a Maremma.

This early, quiet, sunny Sunday morning we had the dogs out. We stopped to wait for Trickster as he did his business. Our female neighbour came out and down the stairs. Loup looked, she made a comment about how much livelier Lou was compared to Clara. Lou sniffed her and leaped on her and then growled before I pulled him off. It all happened so quickly.

He then bit our friend, Renée, whom he has already met and spent an evening with doing tricks for her and she rubbed his belly and looked forward to looking after him if we went away. That all changed. She came over last evening, she rang the bell and I let her in. I thought a few times that I should put his leash on but thought he already knew her so it should be okay. I had him by the collar so he didn't go out. She let him sniff her as she greeted him and he bit her arm, without warning that I remember. Lynn H. suggested any number of reasons he might have bitten from different clothes, to associating the crate with her to not coming in with Ed. In the end, it doesn't matter.

It is also becoming increasingly difficult to get him to go outside. In the beginning, he was so happy to go out. He always came and sat for the leash to be put on. Then, I had to click to get him to come for the leash and treat him. Then, he would go to his bed, I would put the leash on, click to get him to get up. Then, this morning, he went to his bed and then upstairs. Clicking had no effect. I had to pull him to get him to get up.

I hate to think about the life he went through. I find it rather strange considering he is so well-trained (very unPyr-like but then so is aggression) and comes galloping to me when I click.

Dogs shouldn't be disposable and that's what mine are turning into. I am devastated about this. Mr. Lou pays the price for bad breeders/bad owners. This is becoming a reoccurring theme, one that I will do everything I can not to have happen again.

Moving into our Comfort Zone

I must say. It's going pretty well, now. We can handle Lou without repercussions. When he starts barking like a Pyr does, I go outside and he stops before I say anything and looks at me as if to say, 'I know, no barking'.

We had him and Trickster out in the quiet side of the Farm yesterday. I left the long rope on him so he could run. And he did but he also came (sometimes he had to think about it, like a Pyr does) when called. He came more to Don more than me. That was probably due to his sterner voice. At one point (I wish I had brought my camera), Lou rolled and then Trickster rolled in the lovely grass. Lou took that as his cue to leap and play and away they went. It really is a joy to watch the two of them.

He looked at people today but no growls or leaps. He even saw the neighbour and looked but nothing. YES!! It could be, as Lynn said, the dark time is more difficult but I really think he is starting to fit in well as he becomes accustomed to his surroundings.

I'm sure we'll have a setback or two regarding the growling/leaping/snarling but I think it's going to be okay. He did snarl/growl at someone walking on the sidewalk past our house. I was on the street just coming back from our walk. Perhaps he is extremely territorial? I hope not that territorial. Or, it was just that it was dark and perhaps he's not used to being out at that time. He also hates bikes so we do have our work cut out for us. He also got upset about my nephews coming across the street to say hi. They were sad they couldn't say hello because they grew up with Clara and they love dogs. However, they are willing to work with me to desensitize him.

Don's car has no brakes I discovered coming back from taking mom shopping. That was not fun. All to say, we couldn't take the boys to the Farm today. We went for a long walk instead and they played in the yard afterwards. The photos above are taken today. It seems like we need a bigger yard but the Farm will do just fine for now.

Everything Will be Alright

I was getting worried. I had Lou out the other night. He was lying on the grass median, cooling his infected bits when my neighbour glided by slowly and silently on his bike. Lou looked for a couple of seconds and then leaped. Harold jumped off his bike and Lou reach over it and got his hand. Harold said Lou just grazed him but I was still upset. What good neighbours I have in them. Ginette, his wife, watched for me and caught up with me a couple of days later. They hadn't seen Lou and were quite worried I had put him down. I assured her we hadn't but we had to take it slow again with him. She was relieved for Lou. I don't think we would have in good conscience euthanized him. Besides, MA wouldn't have allowed it. He certainly isn't Ben and I think I've let that go now with a little help from my friends. We can do things with Lou and not worry about being bitten.

In speaking with Lynn, as MA has advised, go slow. She is positive about Lou. Again, she has the experience and knowledge. He's a rescue who was in a shelter for three months. Before that, who knows. First they said he lived with a drug dealer and then it was an elderly lady. MA says he has had some abuse as he cringes at certain things.

Lou and I visited MA and gang the other night after that incident. I figured it would do Lou good. MA's house is a flurry of activity with people coming and going, dogs, cats and kids and he knows her, of course. And, he is comfortable with Boudica and Maeve, his mentors. There was no problem.

I'm a little slow when people with knowledge tell me things like, take it slow with him. Too much new stimuli and he won't know how to react. He snarls, barks and will bite at people. I'm confident we can fix this.

Because I can't control him when he goes beserk, I now have a gentle leader for him. He quite respects it although will still go beserk over bikes but I can at least hold him. Don had him out last night down the street (he won't do it in the backyard). People went by and he paid no mind. Good boy, Lou!!

I'm working on having him connect good treats with the clicker.

His infection is finally clearing up and he is a much happier boy. He sleeps upstairs now, beside the bed, moving from one side to the other occasionally. He started out the evening on the bed with me while I rubbed his tummy and ears. THen he'd had enough and down he jumped. Early this morning he heard something outside and started to do a growly. I told him no, and he did a growly in protest but he lay back down and I rubbed his tummy. He really is a happy boy. The fence will be finished on Monday.

On the Road to Recovery

I sit here with my glass of wine as I write this. Don wrapped up my swollen knee in ice and my toe is in question. Broken? Who knows. I biked into Asticou today for a course. Beautiful, sunny day. I was turning and my bike slid out from under me. Black ice. Man, it hurt. I got myself up slowly. I then had to stand there for at least 10 minutes before I could move and not groan too loudly. But I digress from the star of the this blog, Mr. Lou.

Poor Lou. He had been licking himself almost since the day he came back from surgery. It had only become worse. Last night, I let him upstairs but no one got any sleep. He would lie down for 2 minutes, up and down, lick and up and to another room. All night. His scrotum was red and enlarged. I would think that had been going on for awhile. As much as I didn't want to do it, I took him to my Dr. Murray. Mr. Lou was so stressed with this infection already and his last experience at the vets was less than agreeable.

When Dr. Murray was ready, I put the muzzle on Lou and into the vets we went. I opened the room door for Don and Lou and shut it behind them. I didn't want to face what might happen. It would have been all too reminiscent of Ben. And, after the seemingly horrid experience at the neutering vet, I was very worried. I heard some scratching on the door and then it stopped. Muffled voices. Mmmm. Jenna opened the door and said it was okay. I walked in and there was Mr. Lou on the table. He wagged his tail in greeting. My boy was being so good. I was so pleased. Dr. Murray loved him up, too. As MA said, he will always need one of us to be with him for the visits and that is fine with us.

It turns out his scrotum is very badly infected so he is now on antibiotics and Metacam for the inflammation. Dr. Murray gave him an inflammatory shot in the office so Mr. Lou would get some quicker relief. He was such a good boy. He only growled once and that was that. I love my Mr. Lou and Don has been incredible with the boy.

Mr. Lou should get some relief soon and be able to relax again. He had a wonderful experience at my vet's and I think we're going to be okay.

We had guests over for dinner Sunday. Mr. Lou was fine with Renée but growled and barked at Ed. I think Mr. Lou has just been feeling so awful since surgery that he is beside himself. He hasn't been able to relax or enjoy life and has been very stressed. In a couple of days, he should be feeling better.

Soon, he'll be back to normal. They start work on the fence tomorrow.

Back to Square One

I'm feeling better about Lou(p) again. After consulting with my regular clinic and a friend of MAs, it isn't uncommon that dogs do this at the vet's. Here is an email response to my concerns from the practice manager:

Yes, things like that happen here. Consider Mr. Lou's point of view - strange environment, I'm sure the police encounter was not pleasant for him & he relates the uniform to a bad experience - now he is in a vet clinic full of uniforms??? He is scared, he is allowed to be. Animals have a fight or flee choice, he decided to fight - he already bit a police officer, so it doesn't surprise me that he decided to fight again.

I can't predict the future - yes, he may get more and more brave and then think he can control the world like Ben, but then again, he may be very happy with the world and content to continue life as he knows it - fight when I have to and love every other minute.

I'm sure you have gained the skill of interpreting body language and behaviours from Ben, you will likely identify them so early that ANY possible issue will be addressed before it gets out of hand and Mr. Lou will continue to be cuddly with you.

Lou also started barking yesterday on his walk at everyone. I called Lynn on this and she suggested that he has been overwhelmed by all that's been happening. It's time to lie low. Keep him in the house for 4-5 days, only taking him the yard for his business. Then start walking him up and down the street. If he is going to react to something, put distance between us and them. Then start going around the corner for a few days etc. All to let him get used to his surroundings and the different noises and people. It makes perfect common sense.

Poor guy. He's pretty uncomfortable after his surgery. Licking, walk, sit, down, lick, up, walk, down, sit. Just a few more days, Mr. Cuteypants.

Oh, Mr. Lou

We decided to have little Mr. Lou neutered. Things were fine until he went crazy over the mailman and then went into the house to mark his territory. He peed on our newly reupholstered chair and hence, the new silk carpet, too.

This led to the visit to a different vet (price was right through the rescue) to have this procedure done. Only our Mr. Cutiepants bit the vet tech. I received the call from Roz who was extremely upset. She knew our history with Ben but she also knew she could no longer place him except with MA or me. All three of us were pretty upset. I also called Lynn from Dogs in Harmony for advice. She asked me questions and in the end determined that Lou did not sound like a bad dog, just a scared dog. The vet tech handled him improperly yet she knew his history. Lou did give warning signs.

Lou is not Ben, though. We can cuddle with Lou, step over Mr. Lou, take him for a walk, reach for his collar, pick up his leash, pull a hair the wrong way, tell him to leave the kitchen and not live in fear he will bite. Not so far, anyway. I called Don to tell him what happened. He couldn’t figure out the problem as he asked what other option I was talking about. Euthanasia, I said. Well, Don being Don, that wasn’t even on the radar.

If you go to Ben’s blog http://bentrickster.blogspot.com/, you’ll see that Don kept saving Ben even though he was the one being bitten. I wanted to euthanize him in just about every entry. That’s probably because I was the one working so hard with him and could see that life with Ben was one of walking on eggshells. It really wasn’t fun. But Lou has been so much fun, except for the the occasional person in the dark and the mailman but we aren't afraid of him. As my friend Carol says, 'So many dogs have an aversion to men in uniforms. I have never been able to fathom this as quite frankly they turn me on...' . We’re careful because we’re still earning each other’s trust and MA has reminded me how important this is and not to rush into anything with him.

I spoke with the clinic and got some of the scoop. Vet tech rubbed his tummy and then sat beside him as the vet approached him. Let me say here that they knew his history as the vet tech reminded me. Update: They put him in kennel, no bad behaviour. He was happy enough. Took him out to sedate, he growled, they put muzzle on. Put him back in cage, took muzzle off. Took him back out to give general anaestetic. They went to go near chest. He went ballistic. Lunging at tech, knocking her to the ground. The tech was bitten at this point. I'm told he didn't try to get away from needle but rather just went for the tech. One puncture, no redness around the bite that I could see. From what I have read so far, it’s not uncommon that dogs don’t like being at the vets and will bite. Precautions should be taken but then I’m not the expert.

This vet tech should find a new vocation. She had me extremely upset as she reminded me of his history again and no, it wasn’t just that he had bitten the policeman, but had been protective of SPCA staff and done other growling. Pyrs are bred to guard, you know, she said to me. Yes, thank you. I have had Pyrs before. Roll of my eyes later.

She also told me that he had heart eurythmia, therefore, he shouldn’t have had anaesthetic because this would cause brain damage but Roz gave the go ahead. Roz already knew he didn’t have heart problems but apparently the vet tech is deaf.

I suggested his heart was faster than normal because he was stressed and panicked. Oh, maybe but he has eurythmia.

She continued on her rant to tell me he should never be off leash. He can’t be trusted. She didn’t have one good thing to say. And she wasn’t going to check on him after surgery because he bit her. So, that’s fine. She then had me afraid to even take him out of the cage. She left the room and watched through the window. I called Lou’s name and his very red eyes looked at me in a drugged stupor. I opened the door and kept calling his name. He then started to wag his tail. I took the leash, he got up, tail wagging, and I changed to his leash and went outside where he jumped into the car.

I left thinking I would have to put him down. I soon realized this vet tech has neither compassion nor understanding for animals or people. Why is she in that job? If I lived where they are and they were the only clinic, I would drive to my clinic in Ottawa. That was a terrible experience for me so I can only imagine what it was like for Lou.

On the brighter side, I got my two dog beds to match the décor. I think Trickster will be pleased with his bed with the back on it and the new one upstairs. Hallowe’en toys were 75% off at Petsmart so I got Mr. Loup a pumpkin toy. He loves it. MA sent me the photos of him and Maeve in their costumes when he was with her.

Good Guard Dog

As you can see from the photos, Trickster and Ben play quite well. Until Trickster has had enough at which point he gnashes his teeth and tries to get Loup to stop.

I was upstairs Friday night. Loup was downstairs when he barked. I heard Don's car and then Don coming in and Loup barked again. It seems he started to run towards Don in an aggressive manner but as soon as he realized it was Don, he stopped. Thank goodness for that. That had me pretty worried because I want people to be able to come to the door and into the house without him attacking.

My concern was soon appeased as Don and I were eating. Jim came to the door but Loup didn't even lift his head until I got up to let Jim in. Loup came over with me and was sociable. Wheww!!

We did a hike-in in the Gats Saturday with Daniel and Eileen. All was well until Don came through the hut door with a load of wood and Loup started growling. Don put the wood down and Loup was fine when he saw it was Don. I think it was the size Don took on with the wood and he couldn't see it was Don.

Then, on the hike back to the car, Daniel walked Loup on a short leash. I suggested putting him a long rope. I tied that to him and we started walking again except Loup wasn't on the end of the rope. I guess I hadn't tied it properly. I ran after Loup, panicking, yelling all the commands he knew. He soon stopped and turned around, waiting for me. What a good boy!! I thought I'd be spending the night in the Park looking for Loup.

He has been a good boy. Well, except for the Pyr fight at Sue's. We were all enjoying a beautiful Sunday morning, eating Sue-made mouth-watering blueberry/lemon scones and gooey, lovely cinnamon buns when all hell broke loose. There was Apollo, Boscoe and Loup in a fury of white hair attacking each other. I'm told Loup was at the bottom of the heap. It all started with Lucy humping Apollo (they are buddies) and I guess this got the young fellas in a turmoil.

Brave Mark managed to grab Loup, I kept Apollo from going back in and someone else had Boscoe. Loup was relegated to MA's van and piece was retored. Poor Loup. I've decided to have him neutered sooner than later. See the title on the right column, Sunday Morning at Sue's, to see more photos of our outing.

Tonight, we went for a walk in the Farm. I put the long rope on him and let him run. He was well-taught at some point and it seems to me also well-loved. Perhaps it's just that poor Ben was just so damaged any dog would be better than Ben. If that's the case, then Loup is any dog and we love him. He just loves to run. He may be a great hogger. Time will tell. I also want to cart with him but I'll have to wait until he fills in so I can order a properly fitting harness.

Such a Joy

He has had so many walks today. He has also eaten well and I am very happy about that. He is such a joy.

He went to the office at least twice today and met everyone. They all seem to really like him. However, the other office dog isn’t too sure yet but I think she thinks he wants to hump her or she is just maintaining dominance. Who knows. I hope they will play eventually. It’s also pretty hot in the office so I’m not sure how much time Loup will want to spend there.

He and Trickster are downstairs. I’m not sure who is where right now. When I walked them both back from the office, Loup started playing with Trickster. Trickster actually played with him. MA was right. He is quite hilarious to watch play. He leaps in the air and twists around. He is so entertaining. Trickster runs after him gnashing his teeth but he doesn’t try to stop him from playing. I’m so happy. They’ll both get exercise now. It will be a real asset to have the rest of the yard fenced in.

Loup is a great watch dog. He doesn't know routine yet so when he heard Don's car in the driveway and then Don coming in, he barked. What a good boy!

He's Wonderful

Sue arrived at 5:00ish and helped Maryanne when she arrived with Loup. He trotted right in and immediately investigated the house. We celebrated with a great bottle of wine, Bon Courage. A bottle I received on my birthday from our good friend, Renée. It was an occasion well worth celebrating.

While I write this blog, Loup is asleep on our bed, apparently quite content. Maryanne gave him an excellent start on his new life and he is so happy and grateful for that. I did put a bed in our closet but Loup had a quick search of that and went for our bed instead.

I went out for a bunch of minutes and left Loup with him. Don said Loup was wary of him which worries me a little. I gave him (Don not Loup) a pocket full of good treats to endear Loup to him. Don discovered Loup had peed on Clara/Trickster’s bed so I’ll have to get the new bed from that popular store, Costco.

I just took him for a long walk as he started pacing. He only peed. We met up with another nice lady and her Australian Shepherd. That didn’t go well. Her dog growled and then set Loup (I had Ben’s name in there) off growling and leaping. Then we saw a bunny. Good thing Loup doesn’t weight much right now. He seems fairly fit, too.

I think he has settled into the bed downstairs. I’m sure he’ll be back up. Ah, he's downstairs eating.

We've Adopted!

Kadri, Maryanne's daughter, with Loup
Loup shakes a paw with Maryanne while Boudica has a sniff

I was so excited yesterday after we decided to adopt Loup (Balou). I know I drove my friends crazy. I don't think I've felt that way since I was ten. I've finally come off the ceiling and feel as normal as I can be. I did go shopping last night and did something I would normally never do. I shopped at Bark and Fitz for myself (for Balou). I got him a beautiful black leather leash, not that he'll care. Something I always wanted to get for Ben but never did. It's the celebration leash.

I think we'll call him Loup (silent 'p') so it's close to his old name. However, I'm sure his name will change yet again. They thought he was 3 years old, and then 2 but it seems he is even younger than that. He wanted to puppy play with Trickster when he met him, bum in the air. Trickster did the Clara and just looked at him like he was crazy. Don has pointed out how white his teeth are, and his chest still has to fill in.

You may sigh and groan but he bit an intruder in his former home. When they broke in, he went into protective mode and bit that intruder. Remember, it's okay that an intruder rape or burgle you but don't let your dog bite him to protect you. He has since passed temperament testing with flying colours so we're good to go.

He is safely in the hands of Maryanne where he is fitting in very nicely. He isn't big or well-bred but he is a sweetie pie. I wasn't sure on first meeting but after the second one, I had to have him. Maryanne is very sick so until she is able to bring Loup over to help him assimilate, he'll continue to stay with her.

He is very underweight but he is slowly gaining.

When he does get here, he's going to be confused and upset when Maryanne leaves. I feel very badly for him. It will take some time for him to warm up to us. He won't know why she left him here.