“I was having a hard time with a lot of stuff and someone suggested that a dog would be a good idea.
They said, a dog would be a good thing for me to focus on in a positive way.
I started by going to the North Shore Animal League but they didn’t have any puppies that my allergies could tolerate.
They did have some senior dogs that were hypoallergenic, but the kids wanted a puppy.
The puppy was also going to be an elementary school graduation present for my younger daughter.”
“Flora had every imaginable health problem.
She had worms, ear mites, fleas and anything else you can imagine.
Getting her was an expensive proposition, but Flora
is part of the family and we are all very attached.
We have had her for nine years.
She is a high maintenance dog.
She needs a lot of exercise and is very excitable.
When we have people over, it’s hard to get her to settle down.
She is also a hunter.
Once she got a bird in the dog park, which I couldn’t believe.
She was stalking it and before I could intervene she caught it.”
She was only three months old and was really cute.
It turned out that she was in Arkansas.
My kids insisted she was meant to be our dog, so we flew her from Arkansas to NY.”
“My son was watching tv and feeding her raisins.
We had to rush her to the vet because my girlfriend and I knew it was dangerous.
The vet had to induce vomiting and put her on fluids for hydration.
We now have a list of food on the refrigerator, and the kids learned a valuable lesson.
One of the ways Lola has changed my life is that I feel more grounded.
In a divorce situation it’s strange having children come and go (for both the parents and the kids), and having Lola all the time has helped smooth out the waves.
One more thing– I recommend adopting and supporting your local shelter.”
“One of the difficulties I’ve been dealing with since getting Lola, is my ongoing divorce from my children’s mother.
It can be therapeutic to get out in the park with my dog and see her play and recognize what’s important in life, instead of focus on negative things.
It’s hard to pinpoint one great moment since having Lola.
She loves my kids and they interact really well together.
In addition to playing with Lola, they also help with the walking responsibility.
The kids learned the hard way not to give her people food.”
“I saw the adoption truck and went inside and spotted her.”
We had been talking about getting a dog for a while.
It might not have been the right time, but the truck was at Columbus Circle and it was Father’s Day.
I went inside the truck while my kids were shopping in the Columbus Center Mall with my girlfriend.
I picker her out and didn’t tell my family which dog I wanted.
I asked them to to inside and pick a dog.
None of them picked Lola, so I sent them back in, gently guiding them to Lola.
I think the excitement of getting a dog and the crowded truck got in the way of seeing Lola.”
“The best thing about Lola is her companionship and loyalty to our family.
Lola has some cattle dog in her so she treats the kids like they are her herd.
First thing in the morning when the kids wake up she is watching them. As soon as she hears them stir, she is in their room checking that everything is under control.
By the same token, at the end of the day after the kids are in bed, her work is done and she is back under our bed.
One of the hardest parts of having a dog is worrying about her when she gets sick.
She gets sick more frequently than we would have hoped.
Lola eats everything she can off the sidewalk, things that fall on the floor and anything she can get in her mouth.”
“Lola has so much energy, I wish had more time in the day to let her fun free.
The kids are too young to walk her but they try to look after her. They love to feed her, giver her treats and play with her and her toys.
She keeps everyone grounded and happy in the family.
I’ve never had a dog before and I didn’t know that I could love a dog so deeply.
Very simply put, she’s my best friend.”
“We called and she basically said, I can’t take care of Zoe, and asked, would you be interested in taking her?
I flew across country to get her and spent the night in L.A.
She slept on my lap throughout the entire 4 1/2 hour flight back to New York.
We’ve only had her 6 months but I spend a lot of time with her, more so than anybody else because I am in a professional transition.
She gives me a great break while I am conducting my new business search.
She’s so affectionate and loving, and always wants to play.
She is a constant play companion, both indoors and outdoors.”
“My wife and I lived on the same block as a woman who had Zoe and another dog. Zoe was 8 months old and the other dog was 10 years old.
We saw the dogs daily and we befriended their owner.
She was a nurse in her early 20’s who had rescued her puppy with her boyfriend, on a lark when she saw a North Shore Animal League mobile adoption vehicle.
She broke up with her boyfriend, joined nurses without borders and moved out of the city.
About a month after she left the city, she had one of her friends leave a letter with our doorman asking us to call her about her puppy, Zoe.”
