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Thursday, February 10, 2022

RIP lovely little dog. I will miss you and remember you.


 I am starting my first day without my little dog companion of 11+ years and feeling both very sad and sure that we did the right thing for her. So what was her story?

When we lived in Atlanta I had a favorite coffee roaster and coffeehouse I could walk to. Loved that place. They had a community bulletin board and one day I saw a picture of a sad looking little poodle with info saying she was a rescue in need of the right home. We hadn’t had a dog for 7 or 8 years at that point but I tore off the phone number and took it home only to throw it out. Repeated this a few times until my husband finally said “Why don’t you just call?”

The next day we went to her foster home (which became her boarding home when we traveled and she sure did love that family). We met  a very scared little 1 1/2 year old dog who couldn’t stop shaking as she sat on the couch between us. She had a sad backstory and had come a long way in her foster home and they had turned down about 15 potential adopters trying to do the right placement for her. Hubby asked if we could come back the next day and see if she had any interest in us and she did. It was a match.

Start of a mutual love story, the blossoming of a dog who was very sweet and gentle but still recovering from being abused, and lots of adventures together that are fun to remember. She loved baths but hated the rain hitting her body, loved her stuffed and squeaky toys, loved walks with good things to sniff, loved her people, loved to "bake" on the hot pavement, and loved looking out the front window at our home in Atlanta. A friend called the latter "Lola TV".

She developed Addison’s disease 2 years after we got her and a great vet diagnosed it before it was too late. Same with her kidney disease that was diagnosed in 2020. She made it to 12 years and 8 months of a mostly happy life and as our much loved little companion with a big personality and a gentle heart. 

22 comments:

  1. Oh Juhli, my heart hurts for you both. I'm so very sorry for your loss. Even if you know you did the right thing, it still can be so terribly painful. May her gentle spirit remain with you both.

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    1. Thank you. The house is very quiet and it is hard. Great memories though.

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  2. What a sweet dog and I know how hard it is to lose a fur member of the family. You gave her a wonderful life with adventures and love. It's been years and years since my first cat has been gone and I still miss her.

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    1. Yes, the pets of our lives stay on in our hearts which is a great thing. Last night we toasted this one and all the other ones who have shared and enriched our lives.

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  3. Aww, so sorry for the loss of your fur baby. Pets are such wonderful additions of love to a family.

    God bless.

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    1. Thanks. She gave and received a lot of love for sure.

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  4. Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that. You gave her a great life!
    -Dar @anexactinglife

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  5. So sad to hear of her passing. It's hard at first when you look up and expect them to come around the corner. May your happy memories crowd out the sadness as your heart heals.

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    1. That is it exactly! My daily life had her embedded in my routines and she was always there.

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  6. I'm so sorry to read your sad news today! It's hard to lose our four-legged members of the family.

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    1. You have gone through this recently as well. It is sad.

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  7. I am very sorry for your loss. It's very difficult to adjust to having them not there. I still think I hear my cat Midnite jumping on the beds at night. It took me almost 5 years before I was ready for another but I adopted a senior cat and he brings me the same amount of pleasure that my Midnite did.

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    1. We were without a dog for almost 8 years before she came into our life so I know what you mean. Its an adjustment.

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  8. I'm so sorry for the loss of your sweet dog. You and your husband were obviously devoted to her and that's probably why she survived so many obstacles. It sounds like you have many sweet memories of her time with you.

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  9. Just reading the first lines of your post and seeing the picture made my tears start flowing. I am so feeling for you right now! We have a golden who is 13 but still doing well right now. However, we were keeping my son's golden while he was out of country when she just had to be put down. She was such an amazing dog for so many years. I couldn't stop my tears for days! I wanted to, but they just kept coming unbidden. Thank God Lola had you in her life! May God bless you.

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    1. How extra hard to have to make the decision to put a dog down when its person is away. Tears are warranted aren't they.

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  10. I am so sorry. My Buddy has not been feeling good this week and at 11 he should be good for a while longer, but I am worried. I will take him to the vet next month when I get paid and I just hope it is not something serious. I am afraid it may be, and your post just made me cry again. I hope He eases your pain.

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    1. So sorry Buddy is not feeling well and hope it is a passing thing!

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  11. I teared up reading this. How I can share in your pain for I have loved some pups dearly in my lifetime and grieved their passing for weeks and months and years. I appreciate that you and your husband gave Lola a day to think about you guys before returning to see if she felt a connection with you as you did with her. Very wise. Thank you for giving her a delightful life.

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    1. Thank you. She turned out to be the perfect dog for that time in our life and gave us lots of affection, companionship and fun in return.

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