Ladybird

Lady Bird (born April 6, 1982) is the Hill family's 16-year-old dog, about 4 feet long. She is a purebred Georgia bloodhound. Hank Hill has an especially strong relationship with the family's dog. He can often be seen talking playfully to her. Hank adopted her as a puppy to surprise a depressed Peggy after learning Hank may not be able to get her pregnant. Her adoption resulted in Peggy becoming pregnant with Bobby.

## Background

Hank, showing his strong relationship with Lady Bird, went to a dog whisperer in order to keep Lady Bird off of the vicious dog list and from being put to sleep. The dog whisperer is comparable to a yoga instructor that Hank once went to see, the type of person Hank Hill would rather not have anything to do with. When Bobby was revealed to have an allergy to dog dander, he made her a deluxe dog house, getting chocked up at the opening of the dog house. When Lady Bird showed no interest, Bobby complimented how comfortable the house was. This lead Hank to suggest Bobby live in the dog house, and Lady Bird stay in the house, much to the ridicule of neighbors and dismay from Peggy. Hank is shown to love both his dog and son, as he has to give her up temporarily to Bill and took out the carpeting in order to for Bobby to be able to live in the house again.

Peggy appeared to be very jealous when Hank was willing to have Lady Bird go through different procedures in order for her to have puppies, as she has a narrow uterus (mirrored to Hank's narrow urethra, making it hard for him to get Peggy pregnant), but refused to do anything to help himself and Peggy have another baby (such as in-vitro). She believed that he loved a dog more than her. He reveals that one of the main reasons he wanted Lady Bird to have puppies is shown in a narrated flashback. After Peggy and Hank learned about his narrow urethra and it would be hard for them to have a baby, Peggy became very upset and depressed. Hank surprised her with a puppy Lady Bird. He tells her that at that moment, he felt "relaxed", and the two made love, implying that to be the day Bobby was conceived. He believes that if they had puppies in the house, it could help him "relax" enough to hopefully get Peggy pregnant again.

Bobby Hill also has a good relationship with Lady Bird. He was once discovered, by Hank, dancing with Lady Bird. Hank wouldn't allow it, only to end up going behind Bobby's back and start dancing with Lady Bird himself. Lady Bird was temporarily given to Bill Dauterive when Bobby was found to be allergic to dog dander in the episode Hank's Choice, but was able to return to the Hills after Bobby is put on medication.

Lady Bird is famous for saying a lot through her silence. She seems neutral about most everything that happens to the Hills, although she is always there to comfort them when something horrible happens. Often, Hank will look at her somber visage and announce how upset she is about the present situation.

Her age is exceedingly old for a bloodhound, though this is not exactly ignored as she is always portrayed as an elderly dog.

In her later days, Lady Bird developed a sensitivity to thunderstorms which made her aggressive when she was frightened by the thunder. However, Hank's attempts at canine therapy were called off when he discovered that she had gone deaf. (Her panic may even have been at the lightning making no noise.)

## Trivia

* Lady Bird is named after the wife of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. Lady Bird was a nickname by which she was commonly referred. Hank has a particular affinity to Lyndon Johnson as both are from Texas.
* Hank claims that Lady Bird's mother tracked down James Earl Ray, killer of Martin Luther King, Jr. (S01E07)
* Lady Bird also has a narrow uterus, which also jeopardizes her chances of ever having puppies.
* In real life, Bloodhounds live around 7-8 years