The Belleville Area Humane Society strives to improve the lives of homeless animals in our community through adoption, humane education, and community outreach. One of these lucky pups was Diva Dog, who made the rounds online.
For more information about adoption or donating to BAHS visit bahspets.org BY DERIK HOLTMANN
The Bad Breath on Diva Dog
Jay Leno once said, “If your dog has bad breath, pour some Scope in the toilet.” Jay Leno has never met Lola. For one thing, she’s too short to drink from a toilet bowl. For another thing, she’s a Chihuahua.
“She’s an unusual dog,” my husband said, the day I brought her home from the shelter.
My husband is prone to understatement.
Eight inches tall with the breath of a flesh-eating zombie, when Lola looks in the mirror she sees a lion. The day I adopted her, she tried to attack a Rottweiler. Another time, she chased down a UPS truck and attempted to pop its tires with her teeth.
“Why would you want a dog like that?” you might ask. Well, Lola is cute, incredibly cute. She has chocolate drop eyes and over-sized ears. When she wags her tail, her body wags with it.
When my friend, Claudia, visited us last summer, she wanted to take Lola home. I joked she could have her but, truth be told, she’s part of our family. What would we do without our 7-pound diva?
Though my husband would never admit it, Lola has him wrapped around her paw.
More than once, I’ve heard him call her “Sweetie” — a term he used to reserve for only me. Sometimes she’ll perch like a parrot on his shoulder. It’s all fun and games till she goes in for a kiss. Lola’s breath can bring a man to his knees.
Which brings us back to Jay Leno. No, we didn’t put mouthwash in the toilet — but, last week, we did get Lola’s teeth cleaned.
According to her vet, Noelle Miles, Lola is not alone in her halitosis.
“It’s a Chihuahua thing,” she told me. “They have small mouths and overcrowded teeth.”
They also hate to have their teeth brushed. It would take the Jaws of Life to pry Lola’s mouth open without her permission. Dr. Miles anesthesized her for the dental procedure.
As it turned out, Lola had some bad canines in there. Talk about feeling like a rotten mom. Here, I had nicknamed her “Zombie Breath” and the poor girl just needed some teeth pulled.
She got sent home with pain pills but, in true Lola fashion, she really didn’t need them. She started begging for treats the minute I got in the door.
“The vet says her breath will smell like flowers now,” I told my husband.
“Are you serious?”
“Kiss her nose and find out.”
He didn’t kiss it then. But later? Who knows. The two of them were curled up together in a chair the last time I saw them. Lola was never one to lick and tell.
Source: bnd
