by Glenn R. Swift
I have never had my own dog. My dad, wonderful as he was, would never allow a “beast” in the house. (Dad was English.) Well…Despite the household ban, I always loved animals. I never realized, however, just how strong that love could be.
Fast forward half a lifetime from my childhood to when I met the amazing Sharon and her precious Lou Lou Bell. Well, it didn’t take me long for me to fall in love with both. They were so beautiful, guess that made it easy.
Lou Lou Bell very quickly became the pet I never had. How she would greet me upon my arrival at the door! And before long, “Loving” Lou Lou Bell (as I affectionately called her) and I began a special little ritual of taking a walk as soon as I arrived at Sharon’s. How she would great me! Sometimes, Sharon would tell me that she had just walked her, but Lou Lou Bell would see me and immediately race to where the leash was kept, making it clear what she wanted to do. She was determined! This was our special time.
And what ears she had! She would hear everything! If I wanted to go outside late in the evening after the two ladies had gone to bed I was seldom able to open the door without awaking Lou Lou Bell who would leap off Sharon’s bed out of a deep sleep and come running to me, barking all the way. This was her way of saying, “What the heck is going on? You should be asleep!” That would wake the whole house up, if you know what I mean, and I would be in the “dog house.” (I soon realized that after bed time, there was no going outside!)
Of course, she was always Sharon’s baby, first and foremost, but my bond with “Loving” Lou Lou Bell grew and grew over the years. And when Sharon would go out of town for a few days, I was trusted to take care of our precious angel. I never took the responsibility lightly, diligently making sure that she got her drops, her special foods, vitamins, etc., precisely as she needed. Instinctively, I always felt that Lou Lou Bell trusted me in the same way she trusted her ceasingly dedicated “mommy.” And when Sharon wasn’t home, Lou Lou Bell and I were inseparable.
Sharon’s niece Tiffany with Lou Lou Bell.
Lou Lou Bell’s unequaled beauty never faded. Folks meeting her for the first time thought she was a young puppy despite her being well up in “dog years.”…a tribute to the loving, self-less care Sharon gave her. But as the years went by, there was a growing realization that she wouldn’t be here forever. Not wanting to think the unthinkable, I tried to convince myself that her passing was still years away…the math told me otherwise.
Car trip to North Carolina.
Sadly, in the last few months of her very special life, Lou Lou Bell began to decline. Even as the end approached, I could not accept that she would soon be gone. It was just too painful to contemplate. But when it was “walk time” and she could not go any further than a few feet into the front yard, I knew that her best days were long gone… and that the inevitable was rapidly approaching.
In her final days, she became even more affectionate to me, cuddling with me every chance she got. I know now and suspected then that this was her way of saying goodbye. And when the end came, I was there for her, at Sharon’s side, although I could not quite grasp what was happening.
While we waited for the doctor to arrive and put an end to her pain, I quickly changed into a dress shirt and pants. You see, I was up all night and dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. I didn’t feel right. So, I dressed up for Lou Lou Bell…kind of silly…but my way of honoring her in her last moments. She was that special.
In recalling that fateful day, I am ever so grateful that I could be there with Sharon when our precious Lou Lou Bell took her last breath. I loved my little friend like a child. She was the most loving, most beautiful little creature I have ever known. Her picture is on my phone, and will remain there for a long, long time. Her memory will last forever.
And oh, how I miss those walks…