welcome « Love and a Six-Foot Leash

Lollie is more of a favorite at the Montgomery County Humane Society than I ever will be anywhere. When I went to pick her up, each staff person present lit up at her name, and at knowing that she was finally getting a chance at something good.

Lollie with her MCHS pal

She was nervous at seeing the open hatchback of the car, cowered a little at closing doors, and couldn’t figure out how to best navigate in the back of the truck on the way home but got home unscathed and undeterred.

on the way home . . .

She got a leashed tour of the house and yard, and much to my delight, has shown to be (at least so far) housebroken. Her nerves are too high to eat much, but after a bit of touring and a bath, I introduced her to her new luxury suite– her crate. It’s been an evening full of new things for her, and I bet she’s exhausted. She has fallen quiet now. I hope she has sweet dreams.

Tonight we make the trek from DC up to the Montgomery County Humane Society to pick up our first foster dog: a brown-eyed beauty named Lollie. Lollie is a three- or four-year-old pit bull mix who has been through a special kind of hell. In early September, Animal Control received a call about an animal in a dumpster on University Boulevard– something was in there, making noise. Expecting a raccoon or other small wild animal, rescue workers opened the dumpster and found beautiful, gentle Lollie– skinny, frightened, filthy, and covered in cuts, sores, and bruises.

She was brought back to the shelter and washed– and washed again– and washed again. Although nobody knows for certain, shelter employees believe she was mistreated by her prior caretakers and over-used for breeding, then tossed away (literally!) when her life became an inconvenience. Despite her rough background, Lollie proved to be a big sweetheart. Gentle and affectionate with people, uninterested in dogs. She became a staff favorite.

And yet, seven weeks later, no adoption. Like all dogs living in a shelter, she was at risk of getting sick or going “kennel crazy”– a condition especially likely for pit bulls because of their ultra-social nature and high energy. We went to meet her last weekend, and it was love at first sight. She has no idea what awaits her, but after today, her life will never be the same. In our home, she will find a soft, warm bed, a quiet, safe environment, good food, loving hands, and our own wonderdog Chick to mentor her. Soon enough, we hope, adopters will be lining up at our door!