For the Love of Dog!

My first blog entry for 2012 has nothing to do with food, which is out of my character.

Lola in her kingdom.

Anyone who really knows me would tell you if there's one thing I love more than food, it is dogs. My lifestyle and living arrangements don't really allow me to have a dog of my own. To get my doggy fix, I offer to pet sit for friends.
I am currently watching Lola, the Shih tzu princess with a heart of gold. I never imagined I'd like this breed, but she has turned me into a fanatic.



How do I love Lola? Let us count the ways:

• She's tiny, and so is everything about her. She eats an "espresso cup" full of dog food, with a softly scrambled egg in the morning or with chicken and rice in the evening. Even her droppings are small!

Lola catching up on her sleep.

• In Italy, when a dog goes bonkers to greet you when you come home, they say the dog ti fa le feste, or throws you a party. Lola is quite gifted at throwing the welcome party. Even though she may have the appearance of party girls like Paris Hilton, she has the substance of a Buddhist monk. This dog is zen. Lola often looks off into space, then literally shrugs her front doggy shoulder and gives a little grunt as if to say "that's life, folks."
• Lola loves attention and cuddles, but is secure enough in herself to chill alone on the couch and nap or ponder life. She's like the spouse we've all dreamed of having.
• Lola knows how to play hard and sleep hard. She likes to take her hackysack around the house, and on occasion she growls at it, which means it is time to play. I slide the ball down the long hallway, bowling ball style, or into the kitchen on the stone floors, and she chases after it. Lola often intercepts the ball before it reaches its end point, and she does a pivoting sliding move and brakes herself before running into hard or sharp objects. Lola is a dog of great talent and dexterity.
• When Lola wants something, she speaks to you in the voice of a Gremlin. (Kind of like Dustin Hoffmans's little sighs in The Graduate). It is super cute when she does it, and ten times cuter when she talks in her sleep while dreaming of chases.
• Lola's fur is fluffy and soft. Her ears are floppy and adorned with small bows. She has the funniest facial expressions of any dog I've ever met.

In addition to the pleasure of spending time with canines, dog sitting allows me to know many different breeds and will supply me with an educated decision when I finally get my own dog. I doubt I'll ever find any Shih tzus at the dog shelter, but I'll have my eyes open.

Please send in your dog sitting stories, and share info on the dogs you love. Happy new year to all, may we all be as satisfied with life as Lola!