Why my dog is a jerk

This is Lola. 

She is a Black and Tan Coonhound.

&

She is a jerk.

 She is a master of hunting, food. She can open my bottom mount freezer with ease, and happily helps herself to frozen tater tots, frozen steak and sometimes even ice cream. I have to "Lola proof" my entire house. That means, locks on the freezer, no garbage can in my home, locking of the front door since she can open it, and making sure there is nothing edible within her reach. 

What a pain in the ass! I often find her like this:

Yes, that is my dining room table. See! She is a jerk! But I love her to death! With all of her drool, obnoxiousness, and her VERY loud bark (that seems endless) she has a way of making me overlook all of her shenanigans. She is an amazing snuggler, she likes to wear clothes and she somehow has a way of comforting me when I need it. 

It is my fault she is a jerk. The Christmas I was pregnant with Michael, Santa left this tiny, long eared, wrinkled puppy under our tree. Our other dog, Gracie, (a.k.a. the best dog ever), welcomed this little black pup with open paws. Life with two dogs was proving to be good. I was nearing my due date and determined to get Lola house-trained, and obedient by my son's arrival. Then, "it" happened. 

 Lola's training was put on the back burner. I didn't have the energy to train a puppy. I looked at Lola as something to hold, and cuddle. To fill the ache of my empty arms. "She is just a puppy, she will grow out of it" is what I told myself. Big mistake. For the most part, my unhealthy attachment to my dog is what made her the way she is today. My needs to fill a void left me with a 5 year old dog that sits on my table, and still has accidents in the house. But through it all, she helped me get through the hardest part of my life, and I am grateful for that. 

Lola might not be the ideal dog. She might make my life a little complicated, and she might be a jerk, but I still love it when she climbs up on my sofa for a snuggle. 

I know how important it is for a dog to have discipline, and I know that it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks. For her sake and mine, I continually strive to train her. Its not easy, and it seems as though it is a lost cause, but I can't give up!