Say Hello to Molly

As I said previously, we didn’t get the dog we thought we were getting. Instead, we got a sweet, little gem who has turned out to be a fabulous playmate for Thilde. And this little dog really did need a home…

She’d been dropped off at a shelter in Georgia along with another dog. It was Christmas and the shelter was closed, so the dogs were tied up outside. The day after Christmas, someone from the rescue organization adopted her from the shelter and started to try to find a foster home for her. During that time, the dog was seen by a vet for vaccinations, heart worm testing, etc. She was estimated to be between two and three years old. She also needed to be spayed, although we don’t know she ever actually had puppies.

Eventually, the dog ended up with J in New Jersey. By law Georgia requires neutering and spaying for animals adopted from shelters, and the rescue organization also requires it. In fact, the lady who rescued her was paid a visit by Georgia authorities who wanted to know what happened to the dog and if she had been spayed. Apparently, the woman was very nearly arrested. Fortunately, J had had the procedure done in the nick of time and was able to provide her with documentation shortly thereafter.

J had named the dog Kissykiss… mostly because the dog is very affectionate and loves to give kisses, but also because of her mug. She has a significant underbite, a permananent toothy smile. J even took her to a doggy dentist – there are about 75 vets in the country that specialize in canine dentistry – who told her the problem was congenital. The lower mandible simply grew longer than the upper. The vet told J there is no reason to fix it since the dog has no discomfort or mouth problems as a result and can eat well.

J felt Kissykiss wouldn’t be adopted because of the way she looked and she was prepared to keep her. Still, she’d brought her along for the ride the day we met to pick up Kibbles. After Thilde started to avoid Kibbles, we realized she was interested in Kissykiss and was kind of hanging out with her. Poor thing was pretty nervous though, slinking over to us both curious and frightened. We were all sitting on the ground and she was sneaking up on me whenever I wasn’t looking to steal treats from the treat bag I had hanging from my waistband. Whenever you would call her over she would shake and creep low or belly crawl to you. Clearly, she was expecting to be hit.

Mel decided this was her dog, Kissykiss was the dog for us. “This dog needs a home, and we can help her” she told me. It was true, Kibbles didn’t need a home because J and her family loved him and wanted to keep him. Kissykiss was just another foster dog. With J having two teenagers, a husband, and five other dogs, we imagined this nervous little dog’s life might never be calm enough for her to get over her problems. J mentioned the dog didn’t like her husband and son, saying she thought was afraid of men. Heh. Not a problem for us. Despite having two dogs and a parrot ourselves, we do live a pretty quiet life and there are rarely men around except the occasional family member or friend.

So, we took her. We were all surprised by the outcome of this meeting but everyone went home happy. Even better, was that it was Mel’s decision to get this dog – another little dog – which is what I wanted to begin with. Her pack protection mode kicked in when she saw Thilde was getting roughed up by Kibbles. I was really only pursuing getting a dog like Kibbles because I thought he was what Mel wanted. She realizes now that a dog like that would only work out for us if we didn’t have any other animals.

Mel immediately renamed Kissykiss, having told J that the name she’d chosen was “too gay”, even for us. So, she is now Molly. Molly has been with us a week and she is just perfect. She has gotten the routine down and has started to relax. She loves squeaky toys and empties the toy box every day, dragging the stuffed toys up on the couch. Molly and Thilde play together, chasing each other through the house and stealing toys from each other. She is completely house trained and has not had a single accident. Whiskey, the old Westie, likes her. The parrot is oblivious and she has only a passing interest in him. So far, the whole situation has been altogether amazingly perfect. We could not have integrated another dog into our house any more easily.

Mel says she understands now why I went the distance with J and didn’t lose my patience with her. Everything happens for a reason, and in this situation getting Molly was the reason I stuck it out even though we didn’t know why until the end.