“Journey to Find a Happy Place: Lola, the Pit Bull, After 8 Years in the Garage”

Before being rescued, Lola’s life could be summed up in one word — miserable.

For eight years, the pit bull was chained inside a dark, dingy garage, where she spent her days lying on a concrete floor. She received no attention, no veterinary care, and was never let off the leash.

A woman eventually noticed Lola, and she called AMA Animal Rescue, an animal welfare organization operating in the New York area. A team of rescuers arrived and persuaded Lola’s owner to surrender her.

After everything Lola had been through, no one would blame her if she was hostile or aggressive toward people. Lola, on the other hand, was friendly and sweet, and couldn’t stop wagging her tail when the rescue team found her.

• “We called her ‘wiggly butt,’” Michele Walsh, a volunteer with AMA, told The Dodo. “She was wagging her cute little tail, super friendly, kissing everyone, and overjoyed to see her rescuers.” They walked right out with her after she let them take her off the chain.”

The first thing the team did was get Lola to Animal Kind Veterinary Hospital, where she got a few tumors surgically removed. Lola was then placed in foster care for a few months before being adopted by Charlène von Saher of Manhattan.

Lola has been with von Saher for seven weeks, but it only took her a few days to settle in and relax.

• “She figured out where her little beds were, and what was soft and what was comfortable for her,” von Saher told The Dodo.

She sleeps on the couch…

… and the bed…

… and on top of the patio furniture.

Lola will also rearrange things to make herself more comfortable, according to von Saher.

• “She actually took a throw pillow off of my bed, and put it into her dog bed,” von Saher said. “When I came home, her head was on it — she literally made herself a little bed in her bed with my pillow. It was like a scene from “The Princess and the Pea” — I guess she liked having multiple cushions beneath her.”

Pit bull rescue sleeping in dog bed

von Saher has even caught Lola sleeping across two dog beds …

Rescued pit bull sleeping on two dog beds… or stacking one dog bed on top of another.

• “I was out for a minute, and when I came back, Lola had moved the smaller bed on top of the other bed and put herself on top of it,” von Saher said. “It was hilarious. When I walked in, I couldn’t believe it.”

Lola also enjoys the sun, which she most likely experienced while chained up in the dark garage.

One thing is certain: Lola has taught von Saher the value of unwinding. Von Saher has enjoyed watching Lola grow into a spoiled, happy dog.

• “I think she looks better and better each day,” von Saher said. “They always say that when you adopt a dog, you’re actually saving two.” That’s because you’re taking one, and you’re opening up a space for another dog to come into the shelter or the rescue group.”
• “I absolutely adore her,” von Saher added. “She’s added so much to my life already.”

To see more photos of Lola living the good life, follow her Instagram account.