Louisiana Louie – Still being evaluated so Not Yet Available!

Louisiana Louie wandered onto a farm in Crowley, Louisiana in July of 2011. He was fortunate he wandered onto the right farm and the owner of the farm, Faye, captured him and started feeding the very skinny Chessie. Lucky for Louie, Faye got him to the vet and also contacted a pet rescue in Louisiana who got in touch with the Chessie Rescue. Through contacts that started in North Carolina and Wisconsin, Louie found his way into the hearts of hundreds of Chessie and dog people across the country and through a coordinated effort on Facebook and with rescues everywhere, we were able to transport Louie from Crowley, LA to Appleton, WI in one weekend!

Louie is a small, young, neutered male Chessie who is Heartworm positive. He will need to be as stress free as possible and out only on leash on the overnight due to the HW. He is friendly, current on his vaccines and micro-chipped. His Heartworm treatment includes the monthly HW pill. He had a 3-week cycle of doxycycline-now he will just get the monthly pill just as any other dog will-he will, however, need to be on it year long for at least 2 years or until he tests negative. We also recommend that all dogs get the pills all year long now-rather than just summer months. Louie needs to gain a few pounds yet-he is so very active that it has been hard to get him fattened up! His coat is starting to come around now with good food-it was like straw from being outside and starving. We don’t know his age for sure-but he has a LOT of puppy in him-energy, chewing, and all the things pups do. So basically, he is older than a puppy, but needs the supervision that a youngster would need. He has been really good in his crate-at night he is quiet now and sleeps all night. We have another crate in the kitchen that is open all day and he will go in there and take naps. He will go to the door to potty-and when he squawks that means he has to go “right now”. Louie needs a home where the owners are active and will work with him and give him something to excel in-he would make a great tracking dog with proper training-when he gets on a scent he won’t let it alone. He would also make an excellent agility trainee. He does need room to burn off his energy–so a large fenced yard would be necessary in town- but country would be the best fit for him. He would do fine as an only dog-or with a female-He is fine with male dogs as long as they don’t beat up on him. He needs one-on-one training for his obedience-he does a great “sit”, is getting better at jumping up, and does a “down” for a treat. We have worked on “come”-and he does it-but not when he gets on a scent of something-such as a mouse, or a chipmunk etc. Louie also learned how to swim-he still has a few minutes of panic in the water, but then gets into the mode- Louie has a lot of potential-he is young and has the brains and drive to do great things–he is not a dog for an apartment, or for someone who is sedentary–he will need a home with older kids who know enough not to open a door and let him run off following his nose, and he would be great for a younger retired person who could really put the time into him. He is a sweet little guy-he loves to be loved and petted and told he is a good boy. He loves people. He is a Chessie, however, so he needs a family who understands the breed.

We have been chronicling Louie’s journey through his transport/evaluation/treatment of his heartworms and his quest to find a forever home on his own blog Louisiana Louie’s Journey