Post Molly Update....Ally

After I dropped the bomb on my blog last Thursday, I wanted to do a post Molly update.

First of all, THANK YOU, friends for your support and love as we lost our companion.

It was a LOT harder to put her down than D and I had anticipated.

The anticipation of loosing her was horrific, the actual act of taking her in was traumatic,

but the after math has been peaceful.

I took some photos of her the morning of....upon A's request....

And I'm so glad I did.  I looked back at them the other night and she just looked so miserable.

D saw her afterward (I just couldn't bring myself to go in there), and he said that she looked so peaceful.

The rest of the day we just kinda hung around our house.  Wanting to be close to each other, but not get in each other's way.

Then, I had an unexpected visit from a friend who brought me this lovely little token:

Friday was weird.

• D had Molly's collar in his pocket, and took it out in the morning.  I heard her tags jingle and it woke me out of a deep sleep.

• On the way to school, we left and on the way out the door I said, "Be good, Mol...."  Wow...that was a habit.

• I came home to make calls for work, and after an hour I went upstairs out of habit (I would always let Molly out after working for an hour).

• I made A's lunch, and dropped the crust on the floor...out of habit.  Then quickly picked it up realizing no one was going to gobble it up.

• My dear friend, Michelle, dropped a Love Bomb off on my front door that morning and let me know it was there with a sweet text.  (I LOVED my Love Bomb, thank you!!!).  I was just in the basement, and never heard her.  What was erie was that for the first time in 10.5 years, I had no idea that someone was on our property.  Molly ALWAYS made me VERY aware when someone was close to us.

• I sit and read a book or devotionals every afternoon, and mindlessly put my hand down to pet Molly...where she always sat when I read on the couch.

• At 5pm, I felt like I was forgetting something....that was when we usually fed Molly her dinner.

It was a weird weird day. 

A very quiet day.

We started researching new dogs right away.  We knew that (as dog people), we didn't want to be without a dog long....but didn't want to rush anything.

Our research (done a year ago when we fleetingly thought of being a 2-dog family) had been narrowed down to 2-3 breeds, so petfinder.com pointed us in the right direction.  We inquired about a few...there were a few that had already been adopted. 

No biggie....wasn't meant to be, I thought.

I was willing to wait until the right dog with the right markings with the right temperament came along.

I ran across a boxer/dalmatian mix that kinda warmed my heart.

We were really interested in boxers (or labs) for our next dog.  And her markings were adorable.

All email inquiries told me that no new information was available on her other than what was on the site...and she would be at an adoption event.....the next day.  Over an hour east of our house.

I asked the boys if they wanted to go to grandma and grandpa's house or look at a dog the next day.

They both SCREAMED "DOG DOG DOG!"  (sorry mom)

So, the next morning...off we went.  I told the boys that there was a good chance we would come home empty handed.  That this decision was one we were stuck with for the next decade...and we needed to wait for the right one.  But she was at least worth looking at.

When I first laid eyes on her, I was guarded.  Sure, she was cute....and she wasn't barking or biting.  She was loving and licking a lot.  The boys took to her right away.  She just licked on them as much as she could. 

I talked to the foster mom about her mannerisms.  She'd been in a kill-shelter before the rescue found her.  She was supposed to be euthanized last month.  The foster mother has had her in a puppy pen ever since.  She's never been outside, never been on a leash...nada.

I called Dave, and talked in length to him.  Hung up, left the pet store and called him again for more conversation.  Eventually, he said it was up to me and left it at that.

I went back in and the foster mom said I had 5 days to return her if she turned out not to be the dog for us.  Then I was sold.  I signed the paperwork and she was ours.  As I signed my name, THREE other families came to claim her as their own. 

Sorry, suckers...you snooze, you loose!

So...I drove home with a new dog in the front seat calling her by her name we had chosen....

Ally

(yes, after Ally Sheedy...the next member of our Brat Pack)

So far, she's been a really good dog.  She is SO loving, a HUGE cuddler (a dog after my own heart), and very intelligent.  We've already taught her how to sit, and we're working on potty training....but that's coming along.  She sits well in the car, although we'll have to teach her some more riding manners.  We have yet to hear her bark.  She's got a great temperament with the boys.

I'm just so grateful I listened to my gut and got her when I did. 

I hesitated only because I didn't want to rush the decision-making on a new dog, but she was actually everything I was looking for.

She sleeps well, and has learned to walk well with the harness.

Since she has a short coat, we'll have to look into jackets for her during cooler months here in Michigan...(D is none too thrilled about it hehe).  I figured, I'll pull out the sewing machine and some Michigan fleece w/ wool lining and make my own.  Then he'll be proud to walk her.  :)

I just love her little underbite.  D and I refer to her a "bubba gump."  :)

And while she keeps our house busy, and fills our faces with smiles, I still find myself missing my old Molly girl.  She was my girl for over 1/4 of my life...so to loose that routine and that connection is hard to handle.  But I'm looking forward to a new chapter as well.  Hopefully Ally will pick me too.  :)