Why does Lola always follow me into the loo? Do all chihuahua-cross dogs do that?

Lola, our chihuahua-cross (not visiting me in the loo!)

It’s nine months now since Lola came home with us from The Dogs’ Trust rescue centre near Canterbury. From that first day Lola has followed me into whichever loo I visit for a sit-down. Typically, I open the door to, say, the downstairs loo and – from wherever she is in the house, Lola will join me within moments. At first I thought it was amusing, now I just wonder WHY? Was she some sort of helper-dog for someone who might faint when peeing? Often, she walks in, looks at me and walks out as if to say, “Okay, I see that you’re alright.” Once in a while she comes and puts a paw on my knee for a head cuddle (for her, not me), and, if I’ve finished and tear some toilet paper off the roll, she leaves me to it. I have only managed to sneak in a quick pee without her presence if she is outside in the garden or sometimes, in the middle of the night. When I want to be alone, I close the door and lock it!

My naked foot and Lola

Another of her strange habits is waiting for my naked foot to arrive out of the trouser leg when I’m getting dressed in the morning, at which point she sits near to said foot and stretches out her neck for a foot-cuddle! I didn’t teach her that but someone must have. She also enjoys a rub with my shoe-horn or her rubber-spiked ball.

Lola waiting for cats or dogs

Lola spends many minutes in the morning sitting on the back of the armchair in the front window. She watches all the children with their mums or dads walking to school but, what she is really looking for, is either next-door’s cat or any dog on a lead. For either sighting she barks quite noisily but it’s usually easy to tell whether she has seen a dog or the cat. If it’s a dog, she barks but soon stops when it is out of sight; if it’s the cat, though, she barks and her whole body moves, her hackles rise and she doesn’t stop – mainly because the cat really enjoys upsetting her and will sit on the pavement within Lola’s sight or even come into the front garden and walk along the window-sill or lie in the front garden and bask in the sun’s warming rays.

This is Burlap, not next door’s cat.

(Burlap was our cat before we left America in 1958. We had to leave him with a friend. I don’t have a picture of next-door’s cat so I thought I’d give Burlap’s photo an outing).

Despite her strange little ways, Lola is a great little dog who worms her way further into my heart every day.

Here is a sneaky photo, taken just now, of her enjoying the sun’s rays through the window.