Farewell, Molly

I got some sad news to report tonight. My golden retriever Molly passed away last night. We discovered she had cancer late in the week. We decided to not let her suffer and put her down Saturday evening.

She lived until the ripe old age of 13. I got her when I was in 1st grade and we grew up together. I begged for a puppy when I was little and my parents finally acquiesced. My mother was not known for her love of dogs back then, but she quickly warmed to her and soon became truly another member of the family.

As a puppy, she used her paw to break free from her cage at night and roam around the house. Since she wouldn't use her own bed, I decided to use it on more than one occasion as a kid for my own naps (those pictures will never see the light of day!). She later would sleep at the end of my bed sprawled out across my feet. She would be perfectly comfortable, but I wouldn't be able to move. One night when I was little, she moved up the bed in the middle of the night. I woke up staring at Molly lying on the pillow next to me. I jumped out of bed, frightened. This caused her wake up and jump out too and we both raced into my parents' room scared of our own shadows.

Once, she jumped up on the counter and ate an entire pack of hot dogs and even candy necklace (string included). She was also known throughout the neighborhood for her ferocious bark, finely tuned to erupt when other dogs crossed her line of sight. However, she would only do this from the safety of the house. Once outside, she would cower meekly behind my legs, whether the intruder was a dog, frog, or fish. Once when playing fetch outside, she tripped over my old sandbox and fell onto her back. She was stranded like a turtle on it's shell, flailing her paws and head until my mom rolled her over. I sat on the porch laughing at the sight.

This past November, she caused quite the stir in my family when my dad tripped over her and broke his leg, causing him to have surgery and leaving him in a cast through January. She naturally came away without a scratch.

She was a dog of fine taste: her favorite foods included cheese, Smarties candy, hard-boiled eggs, and cannolis. At any meal, she would always rest her head on your leg and gaze wistfully at you...it usually worked. Her love of food was only matched by her love of tennis balls.

Goodbye, buddy. Thanks for thirteen great years. I'll miss you.