Molly, A Month Later.

 Adam said something the other night about Molly being here a couple of weeks - I said I thought it was longer than that - and to my surprise, she's been here a little over a month. It seems like she's always been here, doesn't it? Pearl still crosses my mind on a regular basis, sometimes when I'm walking in our woods in the back of the property I can almost see her bouncing down the trail,  happily weaving through the undergrowth. But it's happy memories now, I think more of the life she lived rather than the way she passed. Molly is currently sleeping in the chair with me as I write this, when she sees me in the chair she comes over to sit and stare until I shuffle to one side. Then she begins the process of contorting and squeezing until she's right side up and draped over so I can knit over top of her. She and Reuben are not allowed to sleep in the bed at night but we have a gate across the doorway so they can see us and they share a giant dog bed. When we get up they're welcome to come hang out while we drink our coffee and watch the morning news. Morning involves a great deal of Twirling and So Forth - we spend A LOT of time out in the yard. They come out of the backdoor like marbles in a chute, chasing each other and barking madly - it's pretty funny and they never tire of this game. We are considering a possible fence in the spring after the renovation sells, our big concern is still the road. They've both gotten better and don't actually go into it, but still, all it takes is once. But Molly doesn't need to be on the leash anymore, I take it just in case but she stays in line for pieces of biscuit. They both enjoy visiting next door when Blackjack is out, he's the rescue dog our neighbors adopted soon after we got Molly. Since she's the girl she has shown both Blackjack and Reuben Boobin who's boss and will snap at anyone who thinks otherwise. She is Molly Bolly by the way. She remains better with men than women - when our neighbor Hazel came over she hid in the living room and peeked around the corner until she was sure nothing was going to happen but when John came over and she saw Jim out in the yard she trotted right over, tail wagging. But she's nowhere near as fearful as she once was, now barking at the garbage men with fearless abandon from the safety of the front window of course. She fully understands the No Eating Cats rule is strictly enforced and after repeatedly taking away bones, she and Reuben understand they must be shared. Reuben seems much, much happier to have a partner in crime, even if he does have to share bones and affection - they're never apart, where one goes the other follows. Molly still eats her meals in the computer room with the door shut, but that's to reduce her anxiety  over her food, not any aggression related reasons. I am still amazed she's here at all, when Pearl died we had pretty much decided we would not be getting another dog. But the day we saw the picture of Molly that Matt posted - I knew she belonged to me, that she was perfect for us. It wasn't easy adjusting all of the time, when you adopt an adult dog, especially one that hasn't had an easy time of it, there's a lot you need to do. The dog has gone from a bad situation to a good situation with a foster family, then yanked out of that into a totally new and scary environment. You have to gain trust - and that means no real discipline until they no longer fear you. We learned very quickly if Molly says she has to go out NOW - she means it. If you don't believe her, the well placed poop in the middle of the stair case will ensure that won't happen twice. She doesn't like the rain at all but is fine once you start walking. She loves to play and smiles often, she's a happy snuggle butt. True to her breed she's the quintessential Nosy Neighbor, poking her schnoz into every one's business, not much gets by her ever open peepers. But the rewards and joy she has brought to this house far outweighs what efforts and adjustments we all had to make. Happy One Month Anniversary Molly - and many, many more!