I met Lou while buying a truck and was asked if I needed a dog..."maybe," I offered, walking to the shed where the puppies were. "This is the only one I'm giving away, though," the man offered. Oddly, this was the cutest one, with the bluest eyes that rivaled the Lookout Mountain sky.
We quickly found out why Lou was the only one given away...the half Austrian Shepard and half Catahoola hound was, and is, deaf as a rock (he has reacted to ungodly lightening strikes, but that is about all).
Still, we took him to obedience school, where oddly enough the teacher was ecstatic. She gladly accepted the challenge of trying to teach a dog sign language. Lou excelled (the other barking pups did not distract him as his attention was riveted on his teacher, with us learning as well).
He now knows "come", "sit", and "good dog", and, somewhat, "stay". "No" can be a problem.
He has been known to see the command, look away, then shortly look back...if "no" is still given he will snap his head to the side, pretending he didn't see it. He can, at times, be sort of like a problem teenager.
But a more loyal and loving dog I have never seen, sleeping with you or at your feet. Outside he is a shadow, herding the cattle, and a confident watchdog on the porch (maybe he cannot hear, but he watches extremely well and barks at any suspicious movement). Other senses kick in too...open any food, and Lou is the dog with "the nose that knows."
I bought that truck, and sold it several years later.
But there is no amount of money that I would take for Lou.
When we all go through the Gate of life, I expect to see him again, and finally call out to those floppy ears, now hearing...but I fully expect he will give me that look of "I heard you all the time... with my heart."
RISING FAWN, GA
