# Lola is home!



## West End Girl (Feb 18, 2011)

I'd have posted yesterday, but after you here our saga, I might be forgiven!

We got up early yesterday to head out on our almost 5 HOUR trip (one way) to pick up our Lola. Well......as we stopped at the drive-thru for coffee, my husband turned on the weather report only to discover that the MAIN highway to get us there (quickly and most directly) was CLOSED! The weather was treacherous, white outs, ZERO visibility, ice patches, accidents galore.

Our hearts sank. And the kids.....well, our son who's 7 was ok, but our 9 year old daughter was devastated......her eyes like Niagara Falls. We waited a bit and seeing the disappointment on their faces, I made the decision that if the HWY re-opened, I would be willing to drive us back in the night.....if that's what it took. Besides, the weather wasn't looking any better for the next day and so, what to do?

The kids' prayers must have been answered as soon, we heard the highway re-opened. Slow, blustery, but moving. We wasted no time. Long story short.....we hopped in the SUV and drove off! Made it safely there and back......but w/o it's challenges!

First of all, our breeder and family who raised these pups is phenomenal. We couldn't have found a better breeder. Very VERY lucky and believe me.....we've had some breeder nightmares (another time), so finding the right one kind of like winning the lottery. I still cannot believe how lucky we got (thanks to KSC & her referral to 1 breeder who referred me to ours)

Lola LOVED us immediately. She was the only female and has 4 brothers. She is the smallest, but also feisty......can hold her own, but is a real "lady"

The trip home could have been turned into a movie! It was dark as we headed back and I finally got to use my highbeams which believe me, were NEEDED! So, she vomited 3 times, pooped once, barked, but this occurred early on in the trip back home. She slept most of the way. Must say that the bonus is that Lola was exceptionally calm & co-operative when being changed/cleaned up- didn't squirm or complain one bit. A real Angel.

Without further adieu, some pictures as promised. Challenging to take really good ones as she moves quite a bit, but here's what I managed this morning.

We LOVE her! And I'll post further on how she's progressing as I feel as though I've written a novel here!

Our girl Lola!


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

oh my gosh...what a trip huh??
Worth it! What a little doll...cute as a button!
I'm thinking she is going to be very pampered from the looks of the pictures! LOL


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Lola is absolutely lovely, and your pics are charming.I love the one of her snuggled up in,is it your daughters arm?, so sweet.So do you know how much she weighs?I think the little ladies can be hilarious[I know ours is]and know how to wind you around their little paws!But the boys are just as wonderful!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Wow what a pick up. She's a doll. Enjoy.


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## West End Girl (Feb 18, 2011)

Yes, the drive was interesting!

That leopard bed by the way, was originally ordered for our cats who took one look at it and said, "I don't think so!" So now, it belongs to someone who recognizes and appreciates it!

will say that so far, the "bathroom" situation has been going well. She uses her pee pad that's in our shower and has been diligent about going there and nowhere else. We're keeping her in our upstairs bathroom for now which is safe and has a floor for easy clean-up. Once the warmer weather hits, we'll be taking her outside to use the "facilities"


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## Rita Nelson (Jul 13, 2009)

Lola is just precious. Gotta love that little pink tongue in the first photo.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Awww... She is so cute in her leopard bed.


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## dodrop82 (May 21, 2010)

Oh good golly, Miss Molly! 10 hours of driving in horrific conditions! Not me!!! I'm glad you did it for your daughters sake, tho! She sounds like me at her age! Congratulations! Your new little girl is beautiful! I'm glad you made it safely!


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

OMG Yay! Lola has found her home. All meant to be. Congratulations!


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## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

gorgeous, just gorgeous. Welcome Lola.
Glad you are happy with the breeder. You will have years of happiness with her.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

awwwwww, what a princess!!! Congratulations!!!
I ADORE the picture where she is is sleeping in your daughters arms... on her back, ear up! PRECIOUS!!!! Glad you all got home SAFE!!


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

Oh Lola what a cutie you are. You will be one loved and spoiled lil girl, take advantage of it.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

When I started reading this post, the first thing I thought was "what wonderful parents" it is really great that you thought of your childrens feelings and made this day soooo special. I am sure you all will talk about this day for years to come and your children will someday tell their children. The pictures are adorable and your new little girl is such a cutie. Congrats. Remember we never tire of pictures!!!.


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## kudo2u (Mar 7, 2009)

Congrats! Lola is a cutie! Thanks for the pics, and I'm glad you're all home safely!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Lola is a cutie. Good choice! When we got Kodi, we drove up in a horrendous rain storm, and back in a blizzard that closed I-95.


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## West End Girl (Feb 18, 2011)

Laughing Magpie, Thank You. I try to be the type of Mom who places herself in my kids' shoes as much as possible. Oddly enough, I was thinking the same thing driving home last night. This will be a wonderful memory when they look back on a day/night they'll never forget. 

And we had the HUGE bella luna moon beaming at us in this gorgeous orange colour, reflecting off of the various lakes in the night as we drove home. Really cool!

She got a bath late this afternoon, is continuing to use the "facilities" like a little lady. No complaints. Eating, drinking, and playing......we couldn't be more happy.

Irnfit, the I-95 can be brutal. Driving in the rain is very stressful, especially in a heavy rain.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

OMG, she is drop dead gorgeous! And, I thought the first photo was my favorite till I saw the second. Then I knew that was my favorite, till I saw the third . . . and . . .

Cute, cute, cute!!!


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## Cindy3kids (Nov 16, 2010)

Aw she is such a sweetie! Sounds like a very exciting weekend for your family!


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## hedygs (May 23, 2007)

What a trip but what a reward at the end of it. Lola is as sweet as can be.


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## alicelc (Feb 6, 2010)

congrats fellow Canadian member. Thank you VERY much for sharing the pictures  Glad that everything went well. Like KSC said, it was meant to be


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*adorable...*

Love the coloring, love the pic with your daughter...more pics please!


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

Luna is gorgeous! What a sweet little face she has. I love her coloring


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## Mom2Izzo (Jul 1, 2009)

Glad that everyone is home safely! Lola is precious!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Lola looks so at peace in her pictures. I know what you mean it is hard to photograph pups. Videos are much easier.! How was her first night?


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Congratulations! Lola is gorgeous! Also love the one where she is sleeping in your daughter's arms. We also drove Augie home in snow and ice, 25 mph, with cars sliding off the road all around us on I-5. We had to travel so slow that we did not realize at the time that he got carsick.  Glad you made it home OK. Have fun with that little girl. They grow up much too fast! More pictures, please!


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## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

Welcome home Lola! Great pictures and great story to remember the day.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

She is too cute!! And totally worth the stressful drive, I presume!

I'm glad it all worked out for you and she made it home,
Kara


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## West End Girl (Feb 18, 2011)

Thank you everyone for the kind comments and warm welcome.

We've succeeded through our 2nd night- Lola uses her pee pad regularly- no accidents so far. She's eating, drinking, loves to play. So far, so good. I'm transitioning her slowly onto our food of choice and she's tolerating it very well.

Funny this morning, I was playing with her and as much as we enjoyed it, she began to wimper almost as though she was trying to tell me, "you're lots of fun and I love playing with you but, where's everyone else?" Very sweet.

She's got a fabulous personality. Loves to cuddle, explore, chew, play....lots of fun.

I got a laugh out of her seeing her reflection in the mirror this evening! She got very excited about the thought of there being another puppy there to play with. They're so much fun to be around. As exhausted/tired as I am, I confess that I am enjoying all of this. Don't want to go back to work tomorrow!

Few more pics.......


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## Cailleach (Jan 30, 2010)

Awws...cute addition to your family for sure.


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

So lovely.Some Havs make sweet sort of grunting noises when they play,their way of talking!


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## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

these pictures are just so cute! :cheer2:


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## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

What a cutie - I wouldn't want to leave her either!


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Oh my lordy. I am in love with her, so I can only imagine how you and your children feel!
just remember...what ever Lola wants Lola gets!


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## West End Girl (Feb 18, 2011)

Lola is doing very well. House training is a success, but I am using the pee pads at the moment. I only hope that once I have Lola going outside, I won't have her wanting to go "inside" as well. 

I also got her a new crate that is a "vision" type crate with bars that allow her to SEE her surroundings as opposed to being hidden. I'm told that's the best thing. Honestly, the reason for us wanting a new crate was our older crate was a royal pain to open and close. And those who have fumbled in the night in a coma-like state might empathize with me here!

At night, she cries and if it's dark, I will get up, take her to her "potty area" and as soon as she's done, back in the crate she goes to sleep. I don't want to encourage play, as I don't think that would make sense. Hope I'm on the right track with my thinking there. Seems to be working as she settles as soon as she does her business. 

There is so much conflicting information, I'm honestly torn, as you hear one thing and then another. I think we're going to have to wait and see what works best for us and Lola. So far, so good.

Perhaps someone can add their advice here. Since Lola sleeps in her crate with us upstairs, is it reasonable to continue to keep her there once we decide to take her outside to do her business? I'm asking because it would involve getting up, dressed, placing her on a leash, walking with her downstairs, opening the door etc..... I think what I'm asking is, will I make it in time????!!!! 

Those who housetrain outside, do you keep a collar on your pups at all times? If not, is the preferable collar a "snap-on" type? I've read leaving a collar on at all times may lead to matting and fur breakdown in the neck area. But then, how can the house-training go smoothly or quickly when there are all these other factors?

Yes.......I need sleep. Forgive the delusional, semi-conscious questions!


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

so happy for you that she is settling in so well!! Such a blessing! Isn't it amazing to just feel like they have been a member of your family forever!! 

As far as the night time question, I would think that by the time you transition her to going potty outside, she could very well be sleeping through the night. We got our girl at 14 weeks and after the first night home, she never has gotten up to go potty in the middle of the night. Maybe we are lucky, or maybe this is the age they start sleeping through the night, I'm not sure. I think that there are several hav owners that keep a potty pad in thier bathroom for night time visits if needed... but hopefully others will chime in to help answer your question!!


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## West End Girl (Feb 18, 2011)

TilliesMom said:


> so happy for you that she is settling in so well!! Such a blessing! Isn't it amazing to just feel like they have been a member of your family forever!!
> 
> As far as the night time question, I would think that by the time you transition her to going potty outside, she could very well be sleeping through the night. We got our girl at 14 weeks and after the first night home, she never has gotten up to go potty in the middle of the night. Maybe we are lucky, or maybe this is the age they start sleeping through the night, I'm not sure. I think that there are several hav owners that keep a potty pad in thier bathroom for night time visits if needed... but hopefully others will chime in to help answer your question!!


Hi Tillie,

Thanks so much for your input. 

I was thinking the same that once Lola grows a bit, she may be able to "hold" it through the night/sleep through.

I'm interested to hear what others think including their experiences.

Glad to hear I'm not entirely out of whack by thinking of keeping the pad at home for overnight use!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

West End Girl said:


> Lola is doing very well. House training is a success, but I am using the pee pads at the moment. I only hope that once I have Lola going outside, I won't have her wanting to go "inside" as well.
> 
> I also got her a new crate that is a "vision" type crate with bars that allow her to SEE her surroundings as opposed to being hidden. I'm told that's the best thing. Honestly, the reason for us wanting a new crate was our older crate was a royal pain to open and close. And those who have fumbled in the night in a coma-like state might empathize with me here!
> 
> ...


Of course Kodi is well past needing to go out during the night. Still, the fact that he's used to getting up with us at 6:30 on week days means that he asks to go out at the same time on weekends when we might not be ready to be up for the day.<g> We keep a snap-type collar attached to his flexi so that it's easy to put on quickly. I also keep a set of polar fleece - pants and sweater quickly at hand so that I can put something warm on quickly. I have perfected the technique of taking him out, letting him potty and then getting us both back inside and into bed again without truly waking up!ound:

Oh, he has a litter box in his x-pen with him, so if he has to pee, he doesn't have to wake us up. But he HATES to poop in there.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

West End Girl said:


> Hi Tillie,
> 
> Thanks so much for your input.
> 
> ...


Even once they are USUALLY making it through the night, there will always be occasional times (maybe be a little gastric distress, maybe drinking too much too late in the evening) when they will need to potty during the night. The choice is up to the owner whether they'd rather get up with their dog or give the dog an "emergency potty". I choose the latter!:biggrin1:


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Like Karen we get up at six thirty week days so the pups are used to that, and on weekends they hang on until about seven,but I'm lucky as we can just open the back door and they can go out safely and do their business there is no need for me to go out as well,so it's back to bed!Neither of them are in a crate anymore, I do always leave a pee pad down in our bedroom just in case of emergencies.They are used to using pee pads in our breakfast room when the weather is terrible[like today]pouring down with rain,and blowing a gale.It's good to have the best of both worlds!


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Kipling started in the crate in our room. In no time he was sleeping through from 10-ish till 6:30. At that point we moved the crate from our room into our kitchen area. We found when we were closer he woke up earlier. He now adapts. On weekdays he's up with my DH usually by 7 and on weekends he will wait till 7:30 or even 8 if he doesn't hear anything. He only potties outside. We, like Clare, can let him out in our fenced in yard. He goes. We wait and let him back in again. Going alone in the yard came only after his first birthday. Until then we got up, and took him out on a leash. 

Sounds like you are doing really well and thinking about all the right questions.


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