This is Nola, and she belongs to my granddaughter, Alahna. She’ll soon be three years old.
When I was a kid, we had two pets: a kitty cat named Sophie and a puppy dog named Sparky. I’ve always loved cats, but I’ve been afraid of dogs. Sparky, our puppy, became a vicious biter. My siblings and I were terrified of him. Little did we know, he bit because he hadn’t received the shots he needed. That fear stayed with me throughout my adult life. I would hold my breath every time I walked past a dog so it wouldn’t sense my fear and charge at me.
When my granddaughter got her little puppy, I noticed how much Nola resembled Sparky. I had some reservations, but I wanted to figure it out. I dog-sat Nola when she was a puppy, and she would cuddle in my lap.
And THEN she got BIGGER.
Nola has only been in my lap maybe two other times—once as a little pup and again when she was about a year old. I wouldn’t let her jump on me or lick me. But every time I came over to the house, she would actively seek my attention, and I would gladly give her love pats. The downside? She would also pee every time. There’s a little joke in the family: “Don’t let Mom in the house when Nola’s around.”
Yesterday, my daughter-in-law captured this special moment of Nola and me. She finally made it into my lap again and even got to lick my face (but, uhm…that’s the last lick, Nola . This time, she only tinkled a little.