There are unexpected dogs who accompany major chapters of a life. Filou was one of them.
He knew Bahia and lived through the years until he met Ollie (whom he welcomed into our home with us), Odin, and Lucky (the family cat).

We don’t know much about the beginning of Filou’s story. All we know is that he had been taken in by the father of one of my son’s friends. He was alone in a garden while his owner had passed away several days earlier. Not really adapting to his foster family, he was about to be returned to the shelter when he was offered to us. I wasn’t really in favor at first, but it only took seeing him meet Bahia for me to understand that this was his chance. Bahia, who was going through a difficult period due to her dysplasia, needed a companion to give her a new lease on life—and it worked immediately. That’s how Filou joined our family.

Filou had probably been separated far too early from his mother and littermates. He had serious difficulties communicating with other dogs. He was traumatized, no doubt by a chaotic start in life. He showed significant behavioral issues and physical developmental problems; he had likely not received proper nutrition from birth. In short, he was a difficult case—but at the time, we didn’t realize it!

Yet he showed us an incredible amount of affection, toward every member of the family—especially Bahia, who had accepted him into her basket. Bahia was unquestionably his guide, his reference point, his primary protection.

Imagine what I used to hear every time I went out for a walk: Bahia weighed 50 kg, Filou… 4 kg! “Oh look, a big dog with a tiny dog—that’s funny!” And I had gotten into the habit of adding, “Yes! One white, one black, one male, one female—everything sets them apart, and yet they’re the best friends in the world!” And the best part was that it was true!

He had developed the habit of walking behind my legs or behind Bahia’s paws to follow the group! He went on every outing with Bahia and covered just as many kilometers. While Bahia walked calmly, Filou trotted quickly to keep up—just imagine the scene!
Despite all his affection, teaching him commands, house training, sociability, and household rules was extremely difficult. That’s what makes me believe he had been deprived of his mother and littermates far too early. But with repetition and patience—and above all thanks to Bahia, who never lost patience—everything gradually fell into place.

We thought we were going to lose him a few times. First, a Dalmatian grabbed him in its mouth and shook him like a toy. I thought it was over. He survived despite punctured lungs. A few years later, he went into cardiac arrest during anesthesia… the veterinarian managed to resuscitate him. These two episodes shook him for several months. A herniated disc, kidney failure, and more. And yet, he always managed to recover. Probably because his entire family (Bahia included) was his motivation—the force that allowed him to overcome any hardship.

When Bahia passed away, he fell into a deep depression. Isolation, refusal to eat, apathy, loss of connection with us… This situation was probably a major factor in my decision to adopt Ollie so quickly. Filou then took on the role of pack leader, and within 24 hours it gave him renewed motivation! Then came Odin, who upon his arrival—and despite his 52 kg—immediately accepted the hierarchy led by Filou and his 4 kg!

Looking back, that dog was incredible. Despite his hardships, he had an admirable capacity for resilience and adaptation!
Until our move, when he was already 12 years old. But his health problems soon caught up with him and eventually took him from us.

He passed away in his thirteenth year. That’s not much for a small dog, but given his life story, I consider it an achievement.