

	Featured Story		Dog of the Day

Lola

Please Note: The dog in the accompanying photograph is the subject of the story, but the person pictured is probably not the patient in the story.

Lola is a 4-year old Golden Retriever who knows the night before that she is going on a volunteer visit the next day. All I have to do is hang my "Love On 4 Paws" shirt on the hook outside my closet with Lola's vest and prop bag just underneath it, and she understands. Before leaving on a visit, Lola likes to take a dip in our neighbor's fresh water pool. (She is a true water dog. Put her in a pool with a raft and she'll climb up on it and just float forever.) Lola has a two-fold purpose for going on volunteer visits: (1) She really loves her job and can't wait to bring a little bit of joy to everyone she sees, and (2) She knows she'll be given treats all day long. She is fondly nicknamed "Pig Dog" around our house.

Lola has always been a very special animal, even beyond Golden Retriever standards. She has an incredible disposition, is always trying to please, and she truly has an extremely close connection with everyone in our family. But Lola also considers every other human being (and dog) in the world a member of her extended family. She has always been amazing with all people down to the smallest kids, allowing them to climb on her, pull on her ears, etc.

I first noticed Lola's special gift when I took her to see my father at a convalescent home, after he had hip replacement surgery. I had asked the home manager the previous day if it would be OK to bring Lola to see my dad because he really loved her. What was just a trip to see my father turned into a door-to-door tour throughout the facility, visiting with many of the patients. While in the lobby, Lola walked over to one older woman in a wheelchair, who was obviously not feeling well at all, and put her head in the woman's lap. You could just see the concern and love Lola had in her eyes. The woman's daughter told me that her mom hardly ever smiled, but the woman lifted her hand and began petting Lola's head, looked up at me, and smiled.

Once I found out about Love on 4 Paws, I was sure that Lola would be a great asset to the organization, and I was ecstatically happy when Lola passed the tests. The two of us have been doing volunteer visits for nearly two years and Lola has learned her way around every hospital we visit. She knows who is where, and who is who, and who might have treats as well. She loves being walked by the blind kids at Blend Elementary and being brushed by the nuns at St. Joseph's. She's become really popular with the kids and the staff everywhere we visit, especially when I start putting on the sunglasses and hats. She never tries to shake them off and will sit there for as long as necessary, just getting lots of laughs. Another funny thing about Lola is that she has a wiggle in her walk. Everyone gets a big kick out of that.

The Love On 4 Paws dogs do wonderful things for both adults and kids who are going through rough times. Their visits bring a much needed bright spot to everyone's day, and for just a few minutes these people can bond with the dogs and forget about their own problems. Lola and I are very happy to make that happen.