Oh Lola, what a big mouth you have...

All the better for smiling with...

Poor Lola, she's smiling in this pic taken this evening, but she didn't have the best start to the day.

We were rudely awoken just before 7.30am by Lola's frantic barking.  Very unlike her.  She likes to sleep late and when she does wake, it's a leisurely journey into the morning involving cuddles on the couch with D then outside for a pee to sniff the morning air.

When D went to investigate he discovered the problem immediately - the  smoke alarm in the hall was beeping.  Lola is the most laid back dog in the world.  Nothing phases her.  Fireworks, thunder, loud noises etc have never bothered her BUT a beeping smoke alarm sends her into a frenzy of anxiety.

D, having given her a cuddle, got the tall ladder from the garage and proceeded to change the battery.  Not a task he was relishing as this particular alarm is on the landing ceiling and to reach it, the ladders were precariously close to the stairs.  We live in a Victorian house the ceilings are high!  Oh, and he's not good with heights!  Think his anxiety was as high as Lola's by this point!

I heard his cursing as the smoke detector wasn't keen to give up the battery and Lola was still barking furiously.  Eventually it came loose and the beeping stopped.  Hallybloodylooya! 

Poor Lola took a little while to settle and was still a bit jumpy and panting slightly when I got downstairs.  Gave her one of her favourite dog biscuits and she settled.  
D headed off to play golf at Leven and I headed to the studio to paint.  I was in there all of five minutes when I heard beep!  WTAF?!  I'm imagining the beeping now!  But nope, I realised it was very real a second later when Lola came thundering through the living room, battered the studio door open with her head and leapt right up beside me, almost onto my desk, quickly followed by Alan's support worker Vickie to say the smoke alarm in their kitchen was now beeping!!

Poor Lola was absolutely terrified.  Thankfully Vickie was able to change the battery (she'd had to do it once before when we were on holiday) so I took Lola to the garden room and sat with her on the couch.  She cuddled right in, still panting but very slowly settling a bit.  Her great pal, R arrived about half an hour later to take her for a walk with her pals.  Great timing and thankfully when she returned she seemed to have forgotten about her traumatic morning.

That said, she has stayed close to me for most of the day.  Normally it's D she settles with but this evening I've had lots of lovely cuddles.  She followed me round the garden when I went out to deadhead the flowers and when I came back in she waited patiently till I sat in my chair then stood on her back legs, rested her tummy on my leg and put her front paws round my neck.  She stayed like that for ages giving me Lola kisses and putting her head on my shoulder.  I took my chance to nab my blip during this rather lovely show of affection :-)

Thankfully she seems absolutely fine now.  More of Lola in extras :D