01/06/2026
The story of Lola – 13th Gotcha Day Anniversary Edition. 🎉
13 years ago, my beautiful Princess Daisy died suddenly from advanced kidney failure. She had concealed her illness so well and for so long that I didn’t even know she was sick until it was too late. She went to the ultrasound appointment but didn’t come home.
Jojo & I were so sad, and we decided we needed another kitten to cheer us up. While looking on Gumtree, I saw an ad for a little grey dog with the most adorable face and wearing a pink sundress. It was pretty much love at first sight but as I wasn’t actually looking for a dog at the time, I decided to sleep on it and not make any rash decisions.
But I did keep looking at the ad. Over and over and over.... And then 3 hours later the ad was gone! I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe she was already sold and that I had missed out. But I kept checking Gumtree anyway, every 10 minutes, just in case the ad came back, looking for my little grey dog. Over the next couple of days there was no sign of her.
Jojo and I got sadder and sadder, moping around and being completely miserable because we had lost our new puppy. But I was still checking Gumtree anyway, every 10 minutes, just in case… I told myself there could have been a million reasons the ad was removed and didn’t necessarily mean she had been sold.
Then 2 days later, on Sunday morning, after the bazillionth time refreshing the Gumtree app, there she was! There was my little grey dog, still in the pink dress, but it was a different ad, a different photo, a different part of the Gold Coast and at a higher price!
I rang straight away and discovered the person selling her had actually bought her on Friday, but their circumstances had changed so she was reluctantly up for sale again. OMG!! I made him promise not to sell her to anyone else and to wait for us to drive from Brisbane.
I called my sister and my mum, who both dropped everything to come too and off we all went with Jojo where we collected a skinny little grey dog and a shopping bag with her meagre possessions from a random man on the side of the road.
She got into the car with barely a backwards glance and became part of the family almost instantly, including adjusting to her new name. (I suspect she didn’t like the name Ninja either…🫤)
Since that very first day, Lola has most definitely cheered us up and has continued to bring love and happiness to a great many people over the last 13 years and her story has been the inspiration for other little Gumtree dogs getting a better home.
So that is the story of my Lola.
Happy 13th Gotcha Day anniversary to my little B. Bear. 💗💗💗
