Good-bye old friend
Today was by far one of the hardest days of our lives. We had to say goodbye to our dear dog Balou. He was much more than just our dog, he was our friend and part of our family!
It all started about 3 months after we got married. We were going up to Montreal for Christmas and my mother called me. My cousin had gotten a puppy Bernese Mountain dog for her three boys but her husband was very much allergic and she needed a good family to take the 4 month old puppy. It was perfect because Jeff and I had been talking for a while about getting a dog. The boys had named him Balou (like the bear in the jungle book) which was perfect since he was just a big fluffy ball of hair. He was so soft and full of energy. It was love at first sight for every body!
We love walking and Balou did too...but don't ask him to run. Who could blame him with all that hair he got HOT! We took him hiking everywhere in Georgia. I remember when he was a puppy we would take him to Stone Mountain park around the trails and every time we crossed a little stream of water he couldn't do it. He was terrified so we would carry him across...until he got too big (which did not take a long time), and then we cheered him on and finally he would cross.
All his life Balou loved to eat our socks and underwear...I know, very gross. His favorite treat was broccoli and he would go crazy for corn on the cob!!! He would lay at the edge of the kitchen with his paw crossed politely. He would jump up in the bed with us just long enough to warm us up...and then he got too hot and moved back to the coolest spot of the house. He loved every body and all other dogs. I remember going to Dallas for one Christmas and Jeff's dad had gotten the cutest little kitty. Balou was terrified. He could not understand what that little black animal was and we could see him purposely go around the room to avoid it and at the end bark at the tiny cat.
Balou loved Emma and Emma loved him. When we brought Emma home Balou was so curious about her and thought she smelled so good. It was not long that Emma became curious about him too. Emma was just a few months old and Balou would come say Hi to her and she would laugh and laugh. As soon as Emma could move around she was going for Balou. Hey the girl's first word was not Mama or Papa, it was Balou!
Like I said he was part of our family. We have 2 kids and a dog and without Balou the house feels very empty.
We will miss him very much.
1 comment:
I remember first meeting Balou that Christmas and how much fun Scout had playing with him. When I came to Lawrenceville after Ariadne's surgery, Balou was so big he could drag me! It seemed like he was the easiest dog in the world to walk, but in a heartbeat, he was full speed ahead! Later in Dallas, Jeff, Balou, and Kobe moved in with us whiie Ariadne was still in Georgia selling the house, so I walked the three dogs, Scout, Balou, and Kobe, with scarcely any trouble. Until Balou wanted to say Hi to a dog he spotted across the street, that is! He was a giant sweetheart. I loved Balou. Linda
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