Hope?

These are dark and frightening days. There is sickness and death all around. But Mother Nature is letting us know that there is hope for better times ahead.

Remember........

Stay in and stay safe.

The Good Girl

Lola was puppy number three. She looked the most like her mama, black with a white chest, silver ear tips and toes and soft brown eyes. Rob said she was the most beautiful puppy ever and that she would stay with us.

Lola was a good dog, never got in trouble and loved her pack mates. She and Bailey were the closest of friends from the very beginning. I discovered that I have few pictures of Lola alone. Usually Bailey is there beside her. From the time they were puppies Lola had a habit of sucking on Bailey's ear flap. The habit continued into adulthood and Bailey developed a hematoma on the ear. The vet suggested separating them at night but they were together all day and the habit seemed calming to both of them.

When Bailey died, Lola and Tess became inseparable. Then Tess died and Lola seemed lost. She followed us around the house and asked for cuddles whenever we sat down. We always complied.

One morning about a year ago Lola had trouble climbing the stairs. Her legs just didn't work. I helped her and gave her some Rimadyl and after some rest, she seemed ok.

A few months ago she had trouble getting up in the morning. I steadied her and again after some medication and rest she was on her feet.

Recently she has seemed fragile and a bit shaky. Rob and I both noticed that she stumbled often. Then on Thursday morning she couldn't get up. When we helped her to her feet, her legs didn't work. We helped her to the porch and settled her on a pillow but she was confused and frightened.

We sat beside her and made the awful decision that it was time to say goodbye. When the clinic opened I called and they said to bring her in.

Our clinic is now following new rules. People must wait in their cars and the nurse takes the animal inside. We asked if Dr B could come to the car so we could be with Lola at the end, but he said to come in with her. So Rob and I were holding her as she died. Dr B agreed that her neurological symptoms were getting much worse and the time had come.

When I got home I sat on the floor with Mackey and Norma Jean and showed them Lola's collar. Norma Jean sniffed it for a long time, then she licked my hand and walked away. She knows. Mackey seems quite upset and clingy. They had gotten to be good friends.

My house is much too quiet. I'm used to a big noisy pack of dogs moving around and getting into trouble. Now I have two dogs who sleep most of the time. Sydney is also downstairs but doesn't interact with the others.

 

 

These are difficult times for so many reasons and losing Lola makes life even less joyful. Hug your dogs and stay safe.

Lola

Legacy's Whatever Lola Wants



















October 26, 2006 - March 26, 2020

Welcome Spring

Ordinarily I love Spring. This year might be an exception. It's been raining for days and the plants in the yard aren't sure what to do. The rose is all leafed out and has been for a couple weeks. The cherry tree is trying to bud but we're expecting a freeze so that may kill the flowers. The other plants seem to just be waiting for a signal to get started.

I think this is a little pine tree that was planted by the birds in the rock garden. I hope it continues to grow though it's not located in the best spot. We'll see.

We're doing our cocooning. I can practically recite the lines to every Law and Order program from heart. Still it beats listening to virus statistics for hours on end.

In honor of a more normal first day of Spring, I offer you this.

Stay safe, everyone.

Viral Thoughts

I never expected being a loner to come in so handy. Rob and I are staying home with the mutts, reading lots, watching old reruns on TV and of course stitching. There isn't a lot of exciting stuff to post about but I'm hoping to urge my ancient computer to work with me on waking up my blog.

I could be using the time to clean house and organize but that seems like a task better put off till boredom truly gets out of hand. There are so many more enjoyable activities to keep me busy.

So far both the humans in the household are well. Lola has some sort of strange hormonal condition known as alapecia X. It's causing her to lost a lot of her coat. Her head, chest and front legs look fine but the back part is practically naked. It doesn't seem to bother her in the least so we're just wtching her closely.

Norma Jean is her usual goofy self. Her sight and hearing aren't as acute as they used to be but she knows when anyone has food and shows up for her share. She and Mackey work together to keep us safe. Since Norma Jean can't hear the mail truck or Fed Ex truck, Mackey barks and NJ jumps in as backup singer.

Mackey hasn't had a seizure since January so we're just watching and trying to keep her safe.

Syd is well. She and Rob have movie night every evening after dinner. They get together in the basement and watch some movie that I wouldn't enjoy. Rob likes lots of action and Syd likes lots of bellyrubs.

I need to cut this short as I've promised to make chocolate chip cookies and now seems like the right time. Stay safe, Blogville!