BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was like asking dad if they could get a dog.
"Well they went to the right parent. It was too hard to say no," said Christopher Kerr, CEO and chief medical officer at Hospice Buffalo.
Except they weren't asking their dad. They were asking their boss...if they could save a dog from a shelter and bring her to the office.
A few days after that conversation, Lola (formerly Baya) the bulldog was settling in at her new home in the admissions office at Hospice.
Her backstory is heartbreaking — the 9-year-old dog spent her entire life in a cage at a puppy mill where she was nearly bred to death. From there, she went to a high-kill shelter.
Fortunately, she was rescued from there and taken to Joyful Rescues in Western New York. While there, they discovered she had cancer. The shelter knew she would be a hard sell to anyone looking for a dog because she was older, sick, and afraid of people.
For Christy Feightner and her coworkers, it was a challenge they were ready to take on.
"The fact she's terminally ill and never had anyone to love her. The thought of her not having anyone to take care of her when she's going to pass really broke my heart," said Feightner.
After first tossing around the idea of sharing custody of Lola, they eventually agreed it would be best if she had one consistent home to go to every night.
"To give her that love for weeks or months or a year, it's worth it. I would do it 20 times over. My goal is to give her everything she should have gotten years and years ago,"said Kim Balduf, Lola's new mom.
But after a good night's sleep (in her owner's bed!), it's back to the office where she gets plenty of treats and pets. She's also pretty comfortable in her bed at work.
Her new family and coworkers say she's not a distraction — except for her snoring!