Molly

Two days ago I had to euthanise my 13 year old Yellow Lab, Molly.

My father and I went out looking for her when I was 20 years old. She was going to be my mom's birthday present. The search started when I brought home a copy of Dogs in Canada Annual to see if we could find the right breeder for us. I was working at Pet Valu at the time and these resources were at my fingertips.

We then travelled around to many small towns meeting different breeders and their puppies. It was so easy to be swaded by the wriggling, little masses of fur and puppy belly. We had agreed on a yellow from the beginning but we met blacks, chocolates and yellows of all kinds and it was so hard to choose just one. Our search continued, despite wanting to take them all, we knew we could only pick one special puppy for our family.

We ended our search in Sunderland at Mollyreach Kennels. The breeders were a nice elderly couple with a lot of experience, patience and love. They were different from alot of the other breeders we had met. We felt very comfortable around them and we could tell that their dogs were comfortable too.

When we went to see the puppies we told them we were looking for a yellow. They had just had a litter of 12 puppies, 3 yellow and 9 black. Unfortunately only 1 yellow had survived. During labour the mother was so exhausted that she had rolled over on to the other 2 yellows and they died. So we had 9 black labs and 1 yellow lab to choose from out of this litter. We held and touched and pet and cuddled all the puppies but could not help feel that the little yellow one was meant for us.

So we decided she was the one.

At the time of my mom's birthday Molly would only be 8 weeks old, the breeder did not let his puppies go until at least 10 weeks of age. He agreed that we could take her for a few hours the day of my mom's birthday and then bring her back the same day. I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep puppies in the litter until at least 9 weeks of age. So my dad picked her up on the way home from work and I hid out in the garage with her until my dad gave me the signal. I went in the house and put little Molly on the floor, hoping she'd walk over to my mom. Instead she just sat there like a little, tubby seal, in the middle of the kitchen. My mom saw her and scooped her up immediately. I'm sure it was love at first sight for all of us, but such a nice surprise for my mom.

Two weeks later we got to keep our puppy and my mom chose to name her Molly, not realizing that the puppies grandmother's name was also Molly, hence the name of the kennel. That was the name my mom wanted so that's the name Molly got and it did suit her perfectly.

We had lots of good times with Molly. She was my first large breed dog. She was rough and tumble and loved to swim. She travelled everywhere with my parents, from out East to out West and down through the states. She camped with them and just recently started spending the summers up at the trailor my parents bought a few years ago. She really loved being outside and being with her family.

So a few weeks ago when I dropped by for dinner, I noticed Molly was having alot of trouble with her back legs and didn't seem to be her happy self. My parents and I started the "talk". What an awful thing to know your family pet, your beloved companion is starting to deteriorate and there will have to be a decision made. My mom was the person who spent the most time with Molly and she said she had noticed a change in her slowly happening for months. It seemed now that it was accelerating at a faster pace and we needed to do something soon, for Molly's sake. We took her to the clinic and the doctor prescribed anti-inflammatory and pain killers as a last attempt at keeping our Molly with us. This only gave Molly about two weeks of relief before she started to dwindle again and we knew there was really nothing more to do. To keep her alive for our sake would be cruel and selfish, but it was still so hard to accept, we would have to go on without her.

We were so lucky to get in touch with a mobile veterinarian that could come to our house and provide the service for us in the comfort of our own home. We were so relieved that we did not have to take Molly into the clinic atmosphere. Not that our clinc is a bad place, but if you own a dog and have taken him to the vet clinic I'm sure you know what I am talking about. The nervousness and fear that some dogs experience is not the nicest way to spend the last few minutes of life.

Dr.Silcox was so understanding and loving with our Molly, we couldn't have asked for a better person to help us with our last act of love for our dog.

In the garden, on Friday June 11, 2010 at 4:45pm, surrounded by her loving guardians, Molly slipped gently into the deep sleep. I feel such an emptiness as I know my parents do too. I think it really hit me on Friday night as I looked at my own little Sadie lying peacefully asleep on my bed.

So until we meet again my Moll Doll, rest in peace and see you at the bridge.