Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Lesson I Learned from a German Shepherd Dog Named Molly

My sister and I with our first dog.

To say that I am a dog lover is an understatement.  As long as I can remember, I have been in love with dogs.  I was really shy and timid growing up, but I always felt comfortable around dogs.  Dogs don't judge, they give back what you give them, and they give unconditional love.  I was always excited to meet a new dog, but that may not have been the case if I didn't have neighbors like Mrs. V and her dog, Molly.

On my route to the school bus stop, there was a German Shepherd Dog named Molly.  I was in Elementary school and Molly must have only been a year or two old because I remember her being around for a very long time.  To get to the bus stop, I had to go through Molly's side yard and when Molly saw us, she would run up and down along the chain link fence and bark.  One day, my friend told me that Molly had jumped over the fence and attacked her, scratching her arms.  This scared me...a lot.  While I loved dogs, the largest dog we had was our basset hound, Mamie - not a high energy dog!  So, this story about Molly scared me enough to start taking the "long way" home.  I really don't know how long I took the "long way", but that route was streets only, no yards with large, barking dogs.  I do recall some of the older girls whispering and giggling at me, but I continued to take the "long way" because I was now scared of Molly.

One afternoon, Molly's owner waited for me to get off the bus.  This was back in the day when it was safe enough to get off the bus and walk home without worry.  Mrs. V asked me why I didn't go through her yard anymore, so I told her the story my friend told me.  Mrs. V told me that the story was not true, that the girls were playing a trick on me.  She then invited me to meet Molly.  I would say this was a very pivotal point in my life.

Mrs. V went and got Molly so I could meet her.  She had me hold out my hand so Molly could "meet me".  Mrs. V told me to pet Molly on her chest as that made Molly feel safe.  Molly was so sweet and gentle and I had a new friend!  From that day on, every day when I got off the bus, I would spend some time with Molly; talking to her and petting her.  Every day I looked forward to getting off the bus and hanging out with Molly before heading home.

It seems Molly was around forever.  I don't remember when it happened, but I remember not seeing Molly for a couple of days and then Mrs. V telling me that Molly had passed away.  Molly and I kind of grew up together.  Obviously, I was really sad and I'm even getting tears in my eyes as I write this.  While it makes me sad to think about it now, it also makes me very happy to have had that experience and to have known Molly.  Molly and her owner educated a young girl on dogs and dog behavior and I am so fortunate to have had that lesson.  Even though Molly died many, many years ago, her legacy lives on with me.

I'm sure if Mrs. V read this story today, she would be surprised that I remember it and how much it impacted me.  Mrs. V taught me a very special lesson about dogs and if she hadn't, it's possible that I might have always been fearful of large dogs which would have been such a tragedy.  Molly, this one's for you!

Do you have a "Molly" story?  If so, please share it with us.

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