Upon meeting Tom and Nancy Hazlett, it’s difficult to say which animals they love more — tigers or poodles.
Famous for their decked-out dogs, the Hazletts are no strangers to attention at tailgates. Nancy has been grooming messages into the hair of her standard poodles since 2001.
It all started after 9/11 when Nancy and her husband decided to shave “USA” into the side of their poodle, Been Jammin’ On De Bayou — Ben, for short.
“Everyone liked that, so in 2002 it made sense for us to put LSU on him,” she said.
Just in time for the team’s national championship season, the family adopted another standard poodle in 2003, Makin’ Roux For De Gumbo. Also known as RouxD, the 9-month-old pup joined the fandamonium.
Tom and Nancy attended tailgates with both dogs, Ben sporting “LSU” and RouxD with “TIGERS” spelled out on each side.
The Hazletts next added Ollie to the family, a third standard poodle, officially named Against All Odds.
“Ollie was born in the 2007 championship year,” Nancy said. “That was the year we had two losses and got the championship game, so his name