[Dailydrool] Lola's gotcha day

[Sherrilyn -]

At 11:45 p.m. I finally turned over the calendar for today, December 2...to see my own hound gracing the page!! Oh, what a horrible slave I am to forget Lola's gotcha day!!!!

While we were living in Mexico, the vet called me one day to tell me that one of Isabella's friends was looking for a new home, and she wondered if I knew anyone who wanted a basset. I'd always been a one-dog home, so it took me some time to debate the issue, but I ultimately adopted little Lola. I can't believe it's been 9 years!!

She was such a scrawny little dog when I got her. Her coat was dull and flaky, her armpits were red and raw, and she'd been bounced around 3 homes before she was two. At some point, she'd also been abused and thus was very fear-aggressive, as I later discovered. Lola was such a challenge when she came to live with me, and if I hadn't spent the previous 8 years reading all about naughty bassets on the Daily Drool, she probably wouldn't have lasted long in my house, either. As it was, there was quite a lot of doubt that first year as to which one of us was going to survive. It turns out that I am more stubborn than a basset, though, and I couldn't be more proud of what a funny, quirky friend she has turned out to be. It also helped that I had the top animal behaviorist in Mexico City working with Lola twice a week. And that she spent several years taking puppy Prozac.

Lola's destructive ways have subsided in the last several years, but she still takes advantage of any opportunity that comes up to counter cruise if I get careless. Food, books, wallets, shoes, baby Jesus...nothing is safe around Lola!

I wasn't sure how she would do after Isabella died in May, but it's been gratifying to watch Lola gain confidence and independence as an only dog. It probably helps that I'm retired and home (or at least in and out throughout the day) now. But I can still see the wheels going around in Lola's head as she sizes up a situation to figure out how to get her way. She cracks me up!

Happy Gotcha Day, girlfriend!

Sherrilyn


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