LOLA

I love Lola, or as she likes to be called, "Lola Bella" because that's her name in Italian....really, it is. We got Lola last May. It had been a year since we lost our precious girl Trixie, who at 11yrs old died of lymphoma.She fought it for a year, but finally it was time to let her go. I was going to wait a year or two before we got another dog, I just needed a rest from taking care of  "somebody". Then my friend told me that a friend of hers had a dog that he was trying to find a good home for, for free. I was hesistant at first, but she was just the type of dog I was looking for, Lab mix, spayed female, 2 1/2 yrs. old. And the amazing thing was that she looked just like Trixie except she was all black and Trixie had some white on her.



Trixie



Lola is a challenge, a really big challenge. As soon as I saw her I knew I wanted her. She sounded like the perfect dog, she was good with kids, liked other dogs, loved to get in the water, rode well in the car. I thought this is great, I've never had a dog that liked water or other dogs. Apparently she was with a family for the first two years of her life but supposedly they were a busy family so they sent her to a rescue group. She was there for a few months and then the guy I got her from took her in, but he lived in an apartment and because of his work and his bad back (hmmm, OK?) he wasn't able to give her the time she deserved.

Well, let's see, she hates water, only has liked one other dog, no other. Isn't good around kids because she tends to nip when she is playing, which isn't good for children. And while riding in the car she barks the whole time, especially if she sees another dog, or a big truck or van goes past.



Lola and Jack

Despite the showing of teeth, this is Lola and her boyfriend Jack, playing. She loved playing with Jack, although she always had to show her dominance when they got together and Jack let her. She would get on his back and snarl and bark and he would just stand there until she was done and then they would play and play. Unfortunately Jack and his mom have moved, she misses Jack.

Bathtime is like wrestling a 60lb bear, I can't let little kids come up and pet her because, although she likes it, it is the sudden movement of kids that makes her nip at them. So I tell all the kids that she doesn't like kids so they won't come up to her. She also doesn't like big vehicles. If we are walking she barks at large trucks, vans, fire engines when they go past, although she has gotten a little better about that, sometimes she doesn't even pay attention to them....sometimes.

When I first got her I notice she had callouses on her front "elbows". A friend who has fostered dogs before told me that it was probably from spending most of her time in a crate. As a matter of fact, the guy I got her from gave me a huge crate that he used for her. He put her in it everyday when he went to work. I NEVER used it, not once, I alwasy leave her loose in the house when we are gone and she has never done anything wrong when home alone.  I have also noticed that if I raise my hands up in the air and raise my voice when just fussing at her about something or getting excited about a ballgame, or just hoopin' and hollerin' about something else, she tucks her tail, cowers and tries to hide under the table or behind a piece of furniture. So I do believe there has been some abuse in the past and I think that if she was crated most of the time that she was not socialized very well, hence some of her problems.

As you can see, Lola has obviously went from the crate to "owning" most of the couch. But that's OK. Sometimes, when I am sitting on the couch watching TV, she will keep pawing at me until I take her paw and hold it in my hand and then we sit there on the couch holding "hands". She is such a sweetie.....most of the time.

My biggest trouble with my sweet Lola is when we go for a walk. She is fine until we see another dog being walked and then it is pandemonium. She barks and barks and carries on like a wild woman. I have already learned that if I see another dog being walked I go another way, turn around, cut across or just stop until they are out of sight. It is quite embarrassing, you cannot get her attention as she is lazer focused in on the other dog, barking and standing on her hind legs.  I have tried bopping her on the nose, squirting her with a squirt bottle and using a high-pitched whistle, to no avail. I try to walk at times of the day when I don't think many other people will be out because this is one dog walking neighborhood. We walk a lot through the cemetary because I can get a pretty good view of the land and see whose coming.  The cemetary is almost like a dog park, so many people walk their dogs in there that they now provide little "poop" bags for your convenience.

So our walks are always good exercise but not always very relaxing. As we walk, I have to continuously look behind us to make sure nobody is coming up behind us jogging, riding a bike, or walking a dog, all while keeping an roving eye all around to see what we might run into. It can be exhausting. I keep hoping in time as she becomes more socialized she will start to calm down.  Hopefully..hopefully....hopefully. Sometimes I think that when she sees these other dogs that maybe she really wants to play, but she would want to be the dominate one and that would not work very well. 

If anyone has any suggestions I am open to them if it will help make our walks more relaxing.

I would never give my "Lola Bella" up, she will always have a home with us until she crosses the Rainbow Bridge someday.  Plus I know that most people wouldn't be able to deal with her "challenges" and I couldn't bear the thought of her being passed around or abused even more.

She really is a sweetie.......what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. And I love her and my son loves her.

How could you not love that face!!!!




I am adding a new feature to my blog.....My Favorite Recipe.  Every post I am going to pass on a recipe that I particularly like and hopefully you will try it and love it as much as I do. They are not my original recipes, but some from my favorite cooks.


LIMEADE

Bring one cup of water to a boil. add 1/2 cup of honey and stir til dissolved. Let cool. Meanwhile, squeeze enough limes to make 1/2 cup of lime juice. Add 4 cups of water to a pitcher, add lime juice and honey/water mixture, put in fridge til cold.  It is my favorite warm weather drink, I drank it all last summer.

You can substitue lemons for the lime and sugar for the honey if you want and it is still very good. I like using the honey because it is healthier for you. Plus if you use local honey it helps with your allergies.

If you are so inclined on a hot summer evening, add a shot of vodka to it and have a nice adult beverage.

I hope you try it, you will like it!!!


Kathy