Princess Molly Brings in The Fall

The first day of Autumn for us brings a bittersweet memory.
Today 4 years ago we said a final farewell to our Princess Mollydawg.
Thank You for the First Day of Autumn.  

Molly was a 50/50 Akita/Rottie girl. She had smarts, beauty and muscle.
Today we look back in our memory and laugh at some of her antics.
She is still the bold, strong willed force in our hearts.

We love her deeply even through those times she played the aloof ‘I don’t need humans in my life routine” We just laughed at her and loved her even more.
She was the very best friend to her big brother King.
She allowed the sweet Duchess Sammy into our hearts and home, and we believe she even found a place in her own heart for her. When Lady May arrived, she saw fit to include her in her antics and they soon became close buddies. 

 

The Two Rottie Sisters. Molly deciding if she will accept Duchess Sammy
Duchess - "You will learn to love me."

Princess Molly - "But she's not prettier than me, right mom?"
King - "It's a trick question mommy. Don't answer it."

Our Molly was our first and only little puppy. We adopted her from the Kamloops SPCA at just 8 weeks old. Rescued from a box of puppies left on the hwy in Merritt BC. She was by our side until she was 15 ½ years old.

8 weeks old. Already a Princess carries her first ever bone to her bed.

Truth be told our puppy Molly was a disobedient little brat who could get her own way with her daddy with just the bat of her eye. She made me laugh hard every day. She was smart as a whip and knew how and when to preform. As she grew, Molly became a real people dog. They were her favourite playthings. She stole the hearts of everyone who came in contact with her.  The sparkle in her eye and the tilt of her head were no match for anyone.

Molly -  "It went under here daddy. Can you find it please?"

We miss that beautiful face and glossy coat. Her funny antics kept us laughing daily. Like when she tried to be graceful and do a rollover. She would flop clumsily to the ground and almost forcefully try to shift her body into a roll that ended up like a kind of half side flop. She would jump back up and sit just as dignified as ever and ask for her reward for such a fabulous rollover. Man, we laughed at her.  She put on such a performance when somebody came in the yard. She made a beeline in their direction, zooming as fast as she could. Within a foot of your body she would stop in her tracks, jump and twirl without touching so much as a hair on you. It became Molly’s trademark greeting and try as we may, we could not train her out of it. Even with my inept training skills Molly did her best to understand what was required. Jumping up was just too much of a use of self control in such excitable moments.

She was so happy to see people. Passers by would often comment of how Molly would jump up like a kangaroo to see who was walking passed the front hedge. Or how she would stay at the front fence in case someone passed by with a cookie for her.

Molly - "Listen Griz, when you see somebody walking past, it's important to jump up and down ok?"
Griz - "I'll do my best Molly."
Autumn 2007

Molly - "Get as close to the fence as you can, so you can reach the cookies, ok?"
Griz - "Ok Molly."

Molly's jumping up in front of people was not safe nor appropriate behaviour. We knew it and ended up putting our Molly on a safe lead when we knew newcomers would arrive. That was a fate worse than death to Molly. She did not like leads of any kind. She was a free spirit and ‘tying her up’ even for short times or on walks would mean you were in for a tugging match. Believe me she was strong! A short 10 min walk could take an hour due to my having to stop every few steps to remind her I was leading the walk not her. Oh Molly! We put her on as long a lead as we could find and would also often drive to areas where Molly could be off lead for her exercise. She loved it and truthfully so did we. 

Ball play for Molly still on long leads until recall has been 100% guaranteed.
From left to right - Lady May, Princess Molly, King, Marchioness lil Molly

She learned impeccable stay and recall skills even with my inept training.
There is a 6 minute video of my inept training skills and how clever our Molly was here:
Molly's Training Begins
She never strayed further than she could spot us. We miss her every day and we’re thankful we’re over the painful hurt of her passing. Now we smile when we think of her and just shake our heads. 

Molly's first pack.Together at Rainbow Bridge now
Left to right Squire Seven, Princess Mia, Princess Molly, Duchess Sammy, King

Why do dogs have to leave us so soon.
I know, it’s like the little 6yr old boy explained, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?
Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

We love you Princess Mollydawg. Say hi to everyone over The Bridge.
Mommy and Daddy sure miss you 💝

Cooper's Day - Meeting with Lilly and The Countess

Cooper has being visiting a few times a week for a little while now. His mom and dad want him to feel comfortable here before there's a real need of overnight stays. The Countess and Lilly had finished their early morning fun times and were quietly resting indoors.

River - "Hey COOPER! When are you getting here?"
Lilly - "Hurry Cooper we want to play more."

When Cooper arrived he came straight to me happily jumping up. A behaviour I will usually rebuff with a backwards movement or turn away from. This day I reinforced it by bending down and giving cuddles. His dad says when he told Cooper they were coming to visit me, Cooper became excited. Yay Coops! I hope he believes things here pose no threat. Confidence, comfort level and security, yay!

Cooper - "Wait for me Lady, I'm coming too."

As dad drove away Cooper watched with only one short whimper. He had a relaxed body and wagging tail. I stepped away and called him, he turned and happily trotted up to me and then followed me to the top yard. There was no moment of running back to the gate for security. His focus was on the sights and smells of the yard and on me. Good boy Cooper. I’m winning your trust. 

Can we go in and see the others now please?

Indoors, the senior Countess River and the exuberant, almost 2 yr old, Lilly were in the living room separated to give Cooper maximum comfort meeting them. I allowed Cooper to say hello to the well socialized and seasoned senior River first. It gave Lilly an opportunity to watch the positive body language and see an appropriate interaction between the two and still have an opportunity to contain her excitement.
As I expected from River, she stayed calm and polite when Cooper approached the gate.

Cooper seemed reassured when River showed she was ready to meet him.

 It wasn’t long ago Lilly was the ‘newbie’ going through the same slow introduction process. Now it was her turn to learn to engage the newcomer in a safe, more relaxed mode. Lilly excelled! She showed 4 year old Cooper the respect he deserved and allowed him to say hello to her at his own pace. Well done girls, River and Lilly! I know your moms and dads are so proud of you both.

Cooper - "I see you and I need you to go slow please?"
Lilly - "Yes, yes, I will but can we just touch please?"

Lilly - "I'm being good right?"
Me -"Yes, You sure are Lilly. I'm very proud of you"

I kept a safety lead on Miss Lilly for a while outdoors as a precaution. One excited leap with her puppy paws could easily set Coopers trust back.

After polite greeting exchanges, Lilly, Cooper and The Countess
roamed back and forth all around the yard marking and remarking areas.

It didn’t take long for all three to be outdoors free of leads and collars to socialize and explore.

Cooper - "Hey River, wait up"
Lilly - "Wait for me too"

Cooper wandered, then followed and soon was staying close to the others and seeking them out as they played. He chose not to join in but made no attempt to run away when they began their romping. I’m hopeful he will soon feel confident enough to join in a controlled bout of play with another soon.

River - "Do you want to play too Cooper."
Cooper - "Ahh, no thank you, maybe another day."

Cooper - "Hey! Wait for me. I wanna come too."
River - "Hurry up then, or you'll miss it."

A few more days like this will hopefully allow him to relax even more. I’ll be watching for the right time and the right visitor to promote a safe, happy playtime for him. I feel like I’m gaining Sir Cooper’s trust and want to continue moving slowly in a forward motion. A backslide can easily undo all the positive gains he’s made to date.

Just dogs in the yard
Lilly, River and Cooper

Thank you to his mom and dad for allowing Cooper to visit and find his place in our extended pack. He's a little darling and his personality is truly shining through now.
I can't wait for his next visit.