My name is Lola!

When we first met Lola she was in a rural pound and was an unclaimed stray. We don’t understand how anyone could not claim this quirky, loveable goof. Lola is a 2 year old brindle and white American bull dog weighing approximately 75 lbs of loveable silliness that is sure to keep you laughing. Lola is a clown in a dog’s body and charms everyone she meets!



When we first met Lola at the pound it was immediately observed how she was so easily adaptable to anyone willing to clip on a leash and pay her attention. She promptly sat at our feet looking up at us with one blue eye and one brown eye in hopes of a good head scratch. Even with the interesting noises around us she remained calm and stood by our sides. What was also immediately obvious with our sweet Lola when we met her was that she had something up with her back end, as her legs swayed out when she walked and it didn’t appear she had much control over them. We debated Lola for a long time out in the parking lot of the pound for we were unsure as to the extent of the problem, but in the end, we couldn’t leave that day without her. This dog has the most infectious happy personality and we made her a promise that we would get her the care and treatments that her previous owner didn’t do. Lola has been assessed many times by our veterinarians and we have also had a neurology specialist weigh in on her condition. It has been determined to be a neurological condition that causes Lola no pain. Here is part of what our vet has said -



“In my opinion, she does not seem to be painful, and can ambulate, so I think her current quality of life is very good and I would recommend continuing the gabapentin, and watching the natural progression of her signs. This medication (she is currently on 300mg every 12 hours) is about $35 a month. It is likely she will always have neurological deficits but she may continue to improve over time. If her improvement stops, the gabapentin could be weaned off. It is likely she will stay roughly the same as she is now. It is unlikely but possible that she will worsen, in which case an MRI could be pursued, or quality of life issues could be discussed with her veterinarian based on her new condition.”



Lola has been doing well on her meds and we have seen some improvement on her gait. She is able to get around and can even run somewhat and play. Lola is able to go for walks and live a normal dog life. We keep her exercise moderate so as not to tax her, but she does very much enjoy her strolls and yard play. As we don’t know what caused Lola’s condition we can’t make any promises on her future, and anyone interested in Lola will have to accept that she is a special girl who should have a long and happy life, but there are no guarantees in life. Lola is unique and her wonky gait adds to her charm. We will provide anyone seriously interested in adopting Lola with the full report from our vet to aid in decision making. We also have video of Lola romping in the yard so it can be seen that she does get around well and she is a joyous and playful girl. Our vet staff love this girl as she is so easy to work with and is always happy, regardless of what is being done to her. The saddest part about this is that, when we took in Lola, she had obviously just had puppies, and her condition would have been extremely apparent to her previous owners. It seems that whoever had Lola was more interested in profits from puppies than the welfare of Lola, or potentially passing along this condition to the pups. We have since had Lola spayed so her days of puppy making are behind her!



From the first day Lola came into our house she has been loyal to us and it didn’t take long for her to sniff around and get comfortable in her temporary foster home. We fell in love with her immediately just as all of our friends and family have. She quickly found her bed which she loves to lounge on while getting a good belly rub. Lola was not a fan of crate training at first, however we are working on it becoming more of a habit. After all, there is not much she won’t do for a good treat! Lola has not had any accidents in the house as we carefully monitor her and let her out often. We have allowed Lola to roam one level of the house while we are away for short periods of time and have come home to find that she has not had any accidents nor has she done any damage to our furniture. The most common thing for us to come home to is her goofy loveable head looking out our bay window as she patiently awaits our arrival with a wiggly bottom and wagging tail.



Lola loves going for leash walks around the neighbourhood and quietly acknowledging every passer-by. Lola is not being fostered in a home with children however our neighbours have 4 kids which she hears through the fenced in yard and its clear she wants to be included in their games and wants to play. We have passed children and other dogs on our walks and she does not pay much attention to them as she is quickly mastering the walk nice command. Lola also loves car rides and sits quietly in the back seat watching all that passes her by.



Just the other day we were busy with our outdoor activities and had brought Lola outside with us. She was stationary on leash where she continued to lay and watch us as we passed by her often not making a sound. Our neighbours stopped and talked with us briefly and Lola watched in silence and didn’t move.



We think Lola would do best in a home with limited stairs where she would be able to remain on one level for the majority of the time. Carpet would also be a bonus as she doesn’t always have the best footing on hardwood.



We had the pleasure of meeting Lola when there was snow on the ground, watching her bury her head in the snow, trying to catch snowballs with her mouth; ensuring laughter for everyone watching. With the seasons quickly changing, and yard work picking up, we’ve noticed that Lola does not interfere, she simply lounges on the deck working on her tan. Although she will sleep in her crate, Lola enjoys sleeping on her bed on the floor by the foot of our bed where it never takes long for her to fall into a deep sleep and start sawing logs. Lola is very affectionate and prefers to be in the same room as us more often than not. Don’t be surprised when you switch rooms, turn around and find her belly up looking at you to rub her tummy. Lola came to us very well trained. She can do many tricks and is very susceptible to learning new ones along the way! When we are in the kitchen cooking and dropping food Lola doesn’t even budge or reach for the food, in fact we can have our food on a low table and Lola won’t even sniff it. Lola has never paid much attention to toys making her very low maintenance and easy to have around. That being said, she loves her treats!



Lola’s biggest enjoyment comes from those around her. She has an amazing temperament and would be best in a loving environment being shown affection from those that care for her. As were writing this Lola is a sleeping beauty, laying on her bed by our feet. Lola is one of the best behaved dogs we have ever met and she is missed when we are at work and not able to be around her. Anybody would be lucky to have her and everybody she comes in contact with falls in love with her. Lola needs a loving family that shows her the same affection she shows her humans. Will you be the next sucker for this quirky girl and her multi-coloured eyes?



All Pound Dog Rescue dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, heartworm tested, de-wormed (if required), and micro-chipped prior to adoption. The adoption donation of $400 is applied to assist in the costs of veterinary care and the overall care of the dog. For more information and adoption applications please consult our website at www.pounddog.ca.