Lola the Goldendoodle by Mary Maier Photography

Serena Faber Nelson Founder & Pet Lifestyle Writer

Pet lifestyle expert Serena Faber-Nelson is the founder of Pretty Fluffy. A contributor to Everyday with Rachael Ray, Modern Dog Magazine, Cesars Way and more; her modern, stylized take on DIY dog treats has seen her recipes viewed millions of times over.

Serena is the author of the go-to dog mom bible, Dog Mama, and the popular dog treat recipe book, Healthy Homemade Dog Treats.

Dogs are family and when they get sick, it can be a tough time for everyone. Today’s touching story and gorgeous photography from Mary Maier Photography shows that despite all the odds, all you really do need is love and a dog…

From Mary:

Lola is an 8-month old Apricot Goldendoodle with soft, fuzzy fur and plenty of personality!

In true puppy fashion, her favourite toy isn’t any of the balls or squeaky toys her parents have gotten for her. Instead, she loves a lime green ball launcher and will proudly dart around the yard with it in her mouth!

Lola has spent the last few months in and out of the vet, so the images I captured for her family were all the more important. If all goes well, she will soon be perfectly healthy again so that her puppy energy can shine through!

From Sara & Matt (Lola’s parents):

Matt and I got Lola when she was 9 weeks old from a breeder in Ohio. I had always dreamed of having a golden retriever. However, with Matt being allergic to dogs and all the shedding that was bound to happen, we decided that a hypoallergenic, non-shedding puppy was the way to go. A Goldendoodle was the next best option!

Lola was born October 13, 2013 and was brought home right before Christmas…a fabulous Christmas gift for our family! She is one of the sweetest, loving and energetic dogs I have ever come across. Lola doesn’t know a stranger and welcomes anyone and everyone into our home (whether that is a good thing or bad thing is left to be determined!).

It really wasn’t until she got sick in March that we realised how quickly a dog becomes a member of the family. Lola was diagnosed as extremely anaemic and has been poked and prodded by veterinarians non-stop over the last several months. It was determined that something was attacking her immune system which in turn was attacking her bone marrow. To this day, the veterinarians do not know what actually caused the problem, but she has endured a bone marrow aspirate, two blood transfusions, two iron injections and, too numerous to count, blood tests.

After months of medicine and close monitoring, Lola is getting better and, finally, acting like a 10 month old puppy should act. Lola still is not 100% healthy, but she is definitely on the path to recovery and continues to improve and love us unconditionally every day!

About Mary Maier Photography

Mary Maier is a Virginia pet photographer who is passionate about celebrating the love that surrounds our pets! Mary lives in Richmond, Virginia with her adopted dog, Blue.

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