he's a {tramp} / Axel, Ally, Semp, Streetrats?

Lou’s owners thought he would make leaps and bounds in the basement fighting ring but they quickly found out that the brindle pit bull was more cowardly than his pedigree lineage should have allowed. ”Why did we name him Lou?” “Short for Loser, I figure; he can’t fight worth shit and is costing us money to keep him alive.” His brother, Brig, was a monster in the ring, taking down everything from large Rottweilers to squat ankle-biting bull terriers; he proved his strength within the first three minutes of each fight and Lou couldn’t live up to that – he shrunk back against the wooden wall apprehensively, tail between his legs and whimpering. His owners tried to build up his aggression by striking him with a pipe and yelling at him but it only made him more anxious. They tried throwing him into more fights, hoping he would eventually just learn to properly defend himself, but each time he continued to hide, getting pinned and beaten up constantly.

His brother looked out for him though: whenever Lou was being ganged up on and yelping Brig was known to pace his cage and whimper, howling, waiting eagerly for his brother’s return. The brothers cared for each other, licking wounds and simply being each other’s company whenever the fights were done and the owners had their fill of beatings for the day. The brothers had only each other in the first three years of their life until the fighting ring was discovered and busted; each of the dogs were taken and Brig, having been used to fighting, resisted and snarled, snapping at the humans that tried to put him in a transportation crate. Lou cowered down, slinking along once again with his tail between his legs, obeying the tall pale humans that stuck him in a crate beside his angry brother.

~*~

Brig was euthanized for not being able to deal with humans and that left Lou by himself. He curled up in the corner of the cell he shared with a poodle, refusing to associate with her even though she appeared kind and welcoming. The brindle pit bull tried his honest best to be drawn out of his heavyheartedness but nothing captured his attention; the loss of Brig affected him to a traumatic level and now he was completely and utterly alone, curled up in as small of a ball as he could make himself.