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Laurie Anderson on what dogs can teach us about death

'Heart of a Dog' director Laurie Anderson on her inventive tribute to lost loved ones, including her husband Lou Reed.

World-famous performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on Heart of a Dog, her avant garde documentary that weaves together the death of her husband, Lou Reed, her mother, and her beloved rat terrier, Lolabelle. 

Anderson joins Shad to explain why she explores our darkest fears through the eyes of a dog, why it's so hard to "make words" about what really happens to us, and how one vet's invitation to euthanize Lolabelle — slowly release her, shot by shot — made her think of our larger discomfort with death. 

"Don't feel anything. Make sure you don't feel anything." 

WEB EXTRA | Watch the trailer for Heart of a Dog, an official selection of TIFF 2015, below. 

Plus, here are the three simple rules she and her late husband lived by. 

She may have lost her husband, Lou Reed, but Laurie Anderson holds fast to their 3 rules. (Rick Rycroft/Associated Press)
Laurie Anderson on turning grief into art with her new film, Heart of a Dog. (Joel Ryan/The Associated Press)