Recovering from Lola

This is Lola about a week before her time ran out. It's been almost 3 months since Lola has been gone. I miss her terribly but am getting on ok. I had gotten her ashes a while back and that was weird. They came in a nice cedar box that I keep in my room for now. I am not sure what to do with them and will keep them there until I figure that out. People say just get another dog. I can't, at least not yet. I have to admit becasue of the care that Lola needed I was giving up many opportunities to go and do things to be with her. I really didn't mind most of the time. She was awesome and always a great companion. I could have left her with friends or some family but I was overly protective and it didn't feel right. Now I have the opposite going on. I can go whenever I want but wish for that companionship. Life is so confusing to me. I believe my lesson to learn and has been for awhile now is acceptance to my situation and appreciating what I have while I have it. I feel like I appreciated Lola while I had her. The other thing is learning patience. I definately grew in that way. She had changed so much from a seeing dog to a blind one. She could no longer wait to go outside to go to the bathroom or for dinner or anything else she may have wanted. For her everything had to be right now. I guess what I am getting at is this little dog through some forces beyond me taught me lessons. Some of them I still am working on and may be the rest of my life. I guess that is what it is all about...

It is hard to believe the hole a 16lb dog can leave behind. Lola was the kind of dog that could affect most anyone. She even blind and deaf could touch someone so much that they would look for us to say hi. I have been stopped to take a picture. Not of us but her. She was and I like to believe is a special soul. I am not sure what happens after this life but I hope there is a special prize for perfect little creatures like her. All the chicken she can eat, her fav, and some angel to hold her while she sleeps is exactly what she deserves. I hope that someday when I go we will meet up again. That is how much Lola means to me.

Lola goes over the Rainbow Bridge

lola has been an amazing friend. She even though blind learned a new home never seeing it. She was able to get around the spot we walked everyday during my lunch break. It was amazing how many people would stop and talk and pet her. I think she was more social than me. She drew me out of my shell. I loved that dog. I couldn't have asked for a better companion. I will tell her stories as they come back to me. Truely an inspirational creature.

Lola's Progress

I have been amazed by her ability to so quickly adapt to going blind very suddenly. She already makes it around the apartment rarely bumping into things in a matter of days. I took her out to my cousins house yesterday. I was worried she would be really nervous about not having the place memorized. She had been there several times. She came in and did run into some things. I kept her on her leash for a short time and walked her around the place so she could get used to it. I took off her leash and she did wonderfully. Even their dog was careful around her. It makes me feel so much better that she is going to be just fine. I notice she gets frustrated sometimes and wines but gets through it and is confident again.

My dream has always been to live on the sailboat I was looking for when she lost her sight. I don't think right now I will continue that search but in the future we will see. She has been good on the boat I have now but it isn't big enough to live on. That is why I was looking to buy a bigger boat as soon as this one sells. Some things have to wait. It's ok I just want her and I to be happy and comfortable. 

I did order her some doggles. I thought it would help to protect those beautiful big brown eyes. All I need is for her to poke her eye and have that injury to deal with. They look like they will be very cute as well. I just hope she will wear them.

Lola the Pug

I found Lola on the Pug Rescue of Sacramento website and it was love at first site. Her big bug eyes and smashed nose were all I noticed from her profile picture. I missed the part about her ears being eaten around the edges by flies, she had a raging bladder infection and she had had puppies recently, somewhere. She was picked up off the streets of Hayward, Ca and had been there for no one knows how long. She was a bag of bones when I saw her at the foster home. Although her attitude said it all. She was one tough chick. Even being stinky and pretty nasty looking I couldn't help bringing her home. Over time and a lot of attention she turned out to be a very healthy, loving, loyal companion.

Six years later and many funny and crazy times, that I can get into another time, we embark on a new challenge. Lola started having trouble seeing things. Within about two weeks and three expensive vet appointments it was determined she had something called SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome). She is now completely blind and there is no treatment to correct it. This is where I get really amazed at the resiliance and acceptance of dogs. She has been nervous and extra needy, understandably, the last two days. I decided to try and see how she would do if we just did things as we normally have. She already is getting around the apartment without hardly bumping into things. Today we went to the dog park and to my amazement she trotted around and sniffed and peed like nothing was different. The only thing that had changed was that she would stop every once in a while and look lost until I would say something and then she would be fine again. It was very promising to me as I was really worried how she would be able to manage with her sight being lost so suddenly.

It gives me hope in my own life to take that as an example to just accept what is dealt me and make the best out of it. I wanted to start this blog to chronicle her progress  and maybe, if anybody was to read it, it could help someone else with hardship.