How Lou Became Lou

That Time I Got A Frenchie For Christmas

Three years ago on Christmas Eve Kyle pulled off the surprise of a lifetime. To my complete and total shock, he gave me a teeny tiny, perfectly adorable, 3-pound French Bulldog. This is the story of how Lou became Lou.

French Love

I had wanted a Frenchie for years. Even before they became extremely popular I had fallen in love with the breed and was determined to get one someday. In 2013, to my great disappointment, Kyle asked me to marry him without the ring tied to a new Frenchie puppy. Then on our wedding day in 2014, I was bummed to find out my wedding day gift from him came in a tiny box, and it wasn’t barking. In the fall later that year, Kyle landed a pretty big deal at work. I knew he was getting a fairly big commission check around the end of November and the thought of a Frenchie for Christmas immediately crossed my mind.

I brought up the idea and Kyle of course said maybe. That was as close as I had ever been to getting a Frenchie, so I was extremely happy with that. I know how to work Kyle pretty well, so I began operation get a French Bulldog. I researched, I read, I begged, I whined, I did all of the things. And it worked! In early November Kyle sat me down and said he had something he needed to talk to me about. I was so excited, I know it was going to be about a Frenchie, and it was.

The Lie

He told me he had asked our property manager at the townhouse we were renting in Wilmington about getting a second dog. No one in our small complex had two dogs, so he decided to ask her first if it was even allowed. Unfortunately, it was not. Or at least that’s what he told me. He even went as far as having our property manager send him an email saying she was so sorry but the owners were just not going to allow it. I read the email in tears. I will never forget laying in bed crying about a dog I never even had. I was so bummed. He also told me even if we could have one at our rental they were extremely hard to find, especially a white/blonde one like I wanted.

I let the news sink in and came to terms that this year would come and go without a Frenchie. I was still aware Kyle was getting a big check so I told him I wanted a Louis Vuitton purse instead, and I was pretty excited about that.

The Surprise

We had decided to spend Christmas in Houston with Kyle’s family that year. It would be the first Christmas away from my parents. With my little brother gone, they would be all alone. Leaving them that year was terribly difficult. I knew as a newly married couple it was the right thing to do, but I wasn’t looking forward to the anxiety and sadness I would feel being so far away from them. I cried on the plane ride there and wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through the next four days. I remember Kyle assuring me he would make the trip worth it and I was annoyed because a stupid bag wasn’t going to ease my pain.

We arrived in Houston and went straight to Kyle’s parent’s condo. Soon after we arrived, my best friend who lives in Houston showed up. I wasn’t expecting her at all and I was really confused. I was happy to see her though, so I screamed and gave her a big hug. Before I could even ask why she was there Kyle walked in behind her. In his hands was the tiniest most helpless creature I have ever seen. She was wrinkly in all the right places and her tiny pink paws were barely an inch big. I was in complete shock. Kyle had pulled it off. He thoroughly enjoys surprising me so he had enlisted the help of even our property manager to do it this time. It was one of the best moments of my life. I had finally gotten what I had wanted for so many years and she was perfect!

Little Lou

All I remember is asking if she was mine over and over. I needed to be sure this wasn’t some cruel joke. As I calmed down I started asking questions, why was Summer there? Turns out it is actually hard to find a French Bulldog puppy around the holidays. Kyle couldn’t find one near us in North Carolina, so since we were already going to Houston he looked there. He found our awesome breeder but she needed to be picked up by mid-November. My best friend Summer being the great friend and crazy animal lady she is offered to take care of her until we got there. She was 6 months pregnant and already had a preschooler plus two dogs of their own. Yet she took care of my puppy for weeks and I will be forever grateful!

One of the first things I said when I got her was, “I thought I was getting a Louis!” We immediately started calling her Louie which turned to Lulu by the end of the trip. When we got home and she really showed us her personality I realized she is no prissy little Lulu. She’s definitely more of a plain old Lou and that’s what stuck.

This whole story probably sounds crazy but it was such a cool thing Kyle did. I adore this dog and although our lab Pete would never go on the record saying this, she was the perfect addition to our family.