Lola

2011 - 2020

Where do I even begin? It’s hard to sum up in words how much Lola means to me. Everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her would be able to vouch for what a character she was. Full of funny quirks, an award winning personality, and an insatiable appetite for all the snacks. She was a chaser of airplanes and shadows, and she’d go absolutely bonkers anytime she heard applause on TV or one of her squeak toys. She was too smart for her own good and knew it. She hated walking on wet grass, but loved laying on piles of dirty laundry. She was a sassy little spitfire, but knew when to switch it off when it was time to snuggle.

I got Lola shortly after my first dog Penny passed away, not long after I turned 21. For the next almost 10 years she was there for me... through college, graduations, heartbreak, losses, achievements, failures, and anxieties... she got me through some of my best, and worst days. My confidant, my secret keeper, and my best little friend. My emotional support pup. After losing my job, and then especially after losing my cat Cici, she was my reason for getting out of bed in the morning. Quite literally in the sense that she would prop her little paws up on the edge of the bed every morning and bark at me, demanding I get up and feed her. On days when I didn’t feel like smiling, she gave me a reason.

After everything that happened this year, in the end it was just her and I. I knew her days were numbered when she was diagnosed with lymphoma almost a year and a half ago, but I made it my mission to do right by her under any means necessary, always keeping her best interest and quality of life my number one priority. “No bad days” was always our motto, and I truly believe that she didn’t have one fully bad day until it was her time to go. It wouldn’t have been worth it otherwise. She had an amazing last year and a half, and I’d honestly do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I will miss her forever, and whenever I think about the bond between a girl and her dog, my Lola will be the first thing I see. I’ll love you forever and keep you in my heart always, little bear. Take care of Cici for me.