HIV and ID Observations

We got some bad news about our dog Louie, the world’s greatest dog. Writing his story here is therapeutic, so forgive the oversharing.

In January, 2013, my wife forwarded me this email:

She doesn’t usually use 5 exclamation points or 6 question marks, and the unusual punctuation betrayed her excitement. The answer to “What do we do??????”, of course, was to claim one of these puppies; this would be her first dog.

The father of these pups — Asher was his name — was a special dog, a little guy who reigned supreme at the local gift shop, Wild Goose Chase. He greeted visitors with kindness, bright eyes, and a wagging tail, easily claiming his title as The World’s Cutest Dog. His owners even printed up his own card, one my wife kept in her wallet just for this opportunity.

A couple of months later, after Asher’s pups had grown up a bit, we met the very tired mom and the whole gang of her offspring at their home in western Massachusetts. We chose our favorite — a spotted little guy we called Louie, and brought him home to join our family.

Love at first sight.

Louie was no purebred, as the black spots gave away the unfancy part of his genetic lineage. Embark (yes, we checked) told us he was half Coton du Tulear, and half “super mutt,” a term I particularly like. Since this was always cumbersome to explain, when others asked what kind of dog he was, I often just said he was a mix, or a Havanese, since that’s what he looked like and it was easier to say.

Over the years, we’ve bonded with Louie in a way that only dog lovers can understand — it’s nothing unusual, but it’s magic nonetheless. Here’s what happened:

• He immediately learned his name, and responded to it instantly. Of course his name is Louie.
• He excelled at eye contact, melting your heart. Stare your way to bigger meals.
• His sleep cycle gradually fell in sync with ours.
• We learned his loves and hates, based solely on the barking and yipping sounds he’d make at the door when he spotted a favorite (the mailperson who always brought him a Pup-peroni) or an enemy (a black lab that somehow embodied pure evil to him).
• His tail and bright eyes gave away excitement for every adventure (We’re going to the park!) or incoming snack (Would you like a treat?).
• Most importantly: He exuded love and adoration for us with zero ambivalence, expressing it regularly without ever, for a moment, getting tired of our company.

The years of love flowing from him made us utterly smitten. Someone came to my office recently, and noted that though the pictures of my family outnumbered the pictures of Louie, the biggest one in size was the painting my son’s friend made of our doggie, in exchange for a contribution we made to an animal services organization. Guilty as charged.

And yes, I’ve featured him here on this site, probably too much, and probably to the annoyance of those who just don’t get the dog thing. A sampling:

1. There was a post about dog-related infections used as an excuse to post pictures about cute dogs, including Louie.
2. How about this one about the importance of eye contact in clinical medicine? A perfect chance to show-off Louie’s super skill.
3. Or another one, about the time he was attacked. He recovered quickly and harbored no hard feelings, what a good dog.
4. I featured him with my brother’s and sister’s dogs, Zelda and Zoe. Why not?
5. Here he posed with his favorite dessert plates, the china picked up by my wife in the bargain bin at local store. Yes, we bought a full set.

So lots of Louie here, the Star of the Show on this ID blog.

When I threw his toy or a ball, and he chased after it, he came romping back in a way perfectly embodied by the Charles Barsotti cartoon with the caption, And the crowd roars!

Wow, he learned to wag his tail in exchange for a treat! What a genius! He can even ride a bike!

To the non-animal lovers, I understand this post might not be your cup of tea. This kind of relationship is not for everyone, nor does it have much logic behind it. Why do we grow to love these animals so much? What causes us to generate endorphins when we pet them and stare into their eyes? Why do some people cry more at the death of their dogs than their family members? Makes zero sense.

We thought we had many more years of these tricks, and eye contact, and tail wags ahead.

But for those of us who have experienced it — this deep love for our pets that is returned by them more than a thousand-fold in exchange — I can assure you that watching them get seriously ill is utterly heartbreaking.

Which is why I’m writing this with tears streaming down my cheeks.

Let’s hope you rally, Louie, and that this is just some minor thing from a random scrap you picked up off the street, or a transient viral illness that just gets better with time. But I am not optimistic. The unspoken messages conveyed by the vet as she told us of the ultrasound findings (we’re doctors, after all), and that she insisted he be admitted to the animal hospital for further workup — these do not engender hope.

I miss you already. ♥