Thank You & Molly's Story

I just wanted to take today to say thank you to all of you for all of your support after Molly's passing. All of your thoughts and comments here and on facebook mean a lot to me. It's obviously been a rough few days for me and I really appreciate the support you've shown me.

Even though I know I'll grieve her passing for a long time I don't want to dwell on Molly's loss, but I would like to share more about her. I didn't start blogging until she was already a senior dog and her adventurous days were behind her, so I don't feel like she got the due here that she deserved. I have some posts already written from before this happened that I'll post next week (and writing is cathartic for me so I'm sure I'll be writing new ones again soon), so I don't plan on re-living her loss here over and over, but I think one last "all about Molly" post is in order.

Molly's Story

I didn't know Molly as a puppy. I didn't meet her until she was a few years old, but I'm told that from day one her paws and ears were full grown, but it took awhile for the rest of her body to catch up. I can't imagine how cute she must have been with those oversized ears and paws.





T was 19 years old when Molly came home with him. She only ten weeks old and from the very beginning Molly was his dog. Even though T went away to college just a few months after she came home, it was apparent during every school break and weekend home that her loyalties lied with him. The next school year, T actually moved off campus just so she could come live with him. Finding a place to live with a huge German Shepherd as a college student wasn't easy, but he did it. Affording a huge German Shepherd on a college kid's meager income wasn't easy either, but he did that too.

Even though Molly grew up to be the most perfect dog I've ever met, she was a terror as a puppy. She refused to be crated and managed to bust her way out of every room and basement she was confined to. The list of things she ate and destroyed is endless. She once drank an entire six pack of soda after breaking out of the basement - you can just imagine T's dad's face when he came home to a torn-up house and one seriously hyper puppy!

She always looked so pleased with herself when she was having a good time.

When Molly went to college with T, she was an instant hit with everyone that she met. She was definitely a novelty on campus and she took full advantage of exploiting it. The girl knew how to use her puppy dog eyes to get a treat from anyone. T ran with her everyday, played with her on the field, and even brought her to a few parties. While at college Molly earned the nickname "Professor Doggington." She even helped T meet girls, running up to them like a lost dog when T pointed them out and said "who's that?!" She was always happy to help out her boy.

I met Molly a few years later when T and I started dating. Of course I instantly loved her. One thing about German Shepherds, and Molly in particular, is their hyper-loyalty. Although Molly clearly liked me from the beginning, I placed a distant second compared to T's number one status. I was never upset by my rank, it was more than enough for me to know that she valued me as much as she did. T and I used to joke that Molly was his soul mate and I was just his wife.



I will never forget the day though that she chose me. It was a random summer day and T and I were outside together with Molly. I remember I had to go inside the house for something and called Molly to come with me. Right away T called for her to stay with him instead and I gave her the universal "yeah yeah, stay here" command too. As I went inside though, I remember getting a distinct look from Molly. One that said "but you want me too" and instead of staying with T, she followed me. I will always remember that day because that was the day that I knew that Molly had given me the same status in her life as T.



There are so many things that I remember about her that I could probably write a whole new blog about my memories with her. There are a few things that stand out though:

- Playing "Molly in the middle" with the football and frisbee.
- Watching Molly jumping a 5 ft. brick wall
- Playing fetch with Molly in the river with a 6 ft. tree branch (really!) while a crowd gathered to watch
- The way she loved to swim
- Her tolerant and deferential nature
- How she could catch anything
- How she could play fetch in the dark and always find the ball
- How much she loved to flop over and roll around in the grass on her back.
- Her sloppy Molly kisses.
- How she would stop and look back at me on walks, like she was saying "thank you for bringing me out here"
- Seeing her get chased around and confused by a chihuahua
- The way she would just keep going, no matter how tired she was
- Her mastery of the English language. Say anything and I swear she understood you.
- Her eagerness to ride in cars. Even when she couldn't jump up in the car on her own she'd try anyway. Even on her last day she enjoyed it.
- How she taught herself to sing along to "Who Let the Dogs Out"
- Her fur was always everywhere. All the time.
- The way she let you vacuum around her, leaving a big Molly-shaped un-vacuumed portion of carpet when she finally moved.
- The way she'd put her nose up high and sniff the air, so obviously happy and content.
- The way she would get up and walk away from you when she was done being pet (she never did like be smothered  ;))
- That she always greeted me at the door when I came home, even when old age and arthritis made it hard for her to get there.

Every time T moved, Molly came with him. She moved with T when he left home, went to college and grad school, moved in with me, and when we finally bought our house. She was there when I adopted my first dog, Cookie, and later when we brought home Melanie, Nemo, Heidi, and our other short- and long-term fosters. She always preferred the company of her people over other dogs, but she was always a tolerant role model to the other crazy canines that we brought home with us.

As she got older she started to slow down, but people were always impressed by her. No one believed it when we told them her age. Just a few months shy of 14 years old at the end, she may not have been as quick on her paws as she used to be, but she was sharp as a tack and determined to get where she was going. She loved walks and ear rubs and bully sticks. And most of all she loved her people.





In her final days we tried everything to get her healthy again. After our first visit to the vet we thought for sure that she would get better, but unfortunately with dogs they can't tell you when you've got it wrong. When she was finally diagnosed correctly we realized there was no cure and she was ready to go. She lived a long life - exceptionally long by German Shepherd standards - and I feel like it was truly the life she deserved. Full of love, and adventure, and fun.

I'll always remember how she was when she was young, and when she was old, and how she brought people together.

I will always have her in my heart.

Rest in peace sweet Molly.