Every Dog Needs Their Day

First of all, Molly and I would like to say Happy Easter to everyone. I have often wondered why dogs are not mentioned with any major holidays or celebrated events. Easter of course has the rabbit, Halloween has the black cat, Christmas has the reindeer, but what holiday is representative of the dog? Dogs need their own holiday. They are man's best friend, they have served more important roles in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than in any conflict before and dogs are coming home as decorated war heroes, they save their owners from burning homes, and they sniff out drugs and take down criminals on a daily basis. Just about everyone has seen videos of a dog being so happy when his owner comes home from the war or on a much smaller scale, when their owners come home from work. Molly always celebrates my return home from anywhere- work, a night on the town, or even doing my laundry. I think they should call it "Celebrate Your Dog Day" or "National Dog Day" or something. Dogs need their own holiday.

A Rainy Day Walk

There is no better walk in the world than when there is a light rain falling. I put on my rain gear- my royal blue rain jacket and my "Indiana Jones" hat (although it looks more like Daniel Boone-it was bought in Mast General Store)- leash Molly up and head out the door. It is usually so quiet when you take walks in the rain. Rain has such a cleansing power- for the earth, for me, and for Molly. The rain is very therapeutic and Molly has a brand new world to smell and to take in. Then again, so do I. I try to take in the whole picture. If I close my eyes, I can hear the rain dripping off the leaves of the trees, I can hear the rain splashing in the pond as it lands on the water, I can hear the many different species of birds singing in only the language they can understand, and I can hear Mollys contented sniffs as she follows the trail of different smells through the grass. The different seasons bring different sounds as well. In the summer time it is the bullfrogs down by the pond and you can hear their croak as soon as I walk out of my apartment door. In the wintertime, it is the leaves rustling as they are being blown around on the ground and flapping in the breeze if they are still on the trees. There is so much to take in.

Vanity Thy Name Is Molly

Shakespeare is usually credited with the line "vanity thy name is woman" from his work Hamlet although it is "Frailty thy name is woman." I do not know if dogs can suffer from vanity but Molly would be a great test subject. She washes herself like a cat, she doesn't like getting dirty or wet (at least not much), and she is always grooming herself. Everyone is always telling her how pretty she is and she is inclined to believe them. She is also a Doggie Diva if there ever was one. That sounds like vanity to me but I am not about to tell her she is wrong.

"Can I Pet Her?"

I was out walking Molly this afternoon around the apartment complex and I saw a mother and her three-year-old son coming out of their apartment. I was busy texting on my phone and did not realize how close the little boy was until it was almost too late. The little boy had walked awful close to me and luckily he spoke first. He says "Hello. Can I pet her?" I immediately apologized to him and his mother and I told them Molly was just not friendly and I gave all of the excuses as to why. I explained all of this to his mother because by this time the little boy had already lost interest and had moved on to Plan B which was riding his little scooter. I felt so bad that it literally brought a tear to my eye.

Molly Reasons

Hi my name is Molly and I have anger management issues. I don't like too many people, I for damn sure do not like other pets, and I wish I could be nicer. It is partially Dan's fault because he did not socialize me when I was up and the rest of it is all on me. I am Alpha Dog to the core and I pretty well let everyone know it. I have to go around the neighborhood and pee over where every other dog has been and there are a lot in this neighborhood. I scratch and growl and let them know who the top dog is. My routine doesn't exactly make Dan happy especially when I go after other dogs but I just lose control. Dan wants to bring in the Dog Whisperer but who needs that clown?

On Her Best Behavior

I had guests over the other night and Molly didn't bark or growl at them one time. Of course, I told them to not try to pet her because she has never been a "lap" dog or even a friendly dog. She tolerates their existence, some more than others, but I'll take her not biting anyone any day. She pretty much laid behind me the whole time and napped or looked out the door but she was on her best behavior.

One More Unproductive Day

I am sitting here staring at one more unproductive day and I feel guilty about it and I really shouldn't. I have got to spend quality time with Molly and spending quality time with your dog can never be a bad thing. I am interrupting Molly's routine just by being here but she can sleep all day anytime. I have still observed my normal routine of trying to take a nap in the afternoons which she appreciates but it does make us both lazy. A little bit of laziness never hurt anyone. That is mine and Molly's story and we are sticking to it.

The Half Way Point

My vacation has hit the half way point and Molly and I have nothing to show for it except a lot of wasted time and dead mole that Molly took care of yesterday. I needed the rest, mentally and physically, so that may not be such a bad thing but at the end of vacations like this, I feel like it is a week I am never going to get back. At least Molly has a mole to show for it and I am sure she is appreciative of the fact I did not put her in a kennel nut still there is a lot of down time thrown in there. I am still not sleeping that well even with my sleeping meds and this is one of those times where I wish I could sleep like Molly. She has no problem with sleep, she dreams her doggy dreams, and she is well taken care of. If such a thing as reincarnation exists, I want to come back as a dog with an owner like me.

Vacation

I am on vacation starting right now and I was going to put Molly in a kennel all week long but I do not know if I can do that to her. Trips to the kennel can be traumatic for a dog especially one that really does not like many people like Molly. She has a hard time at the kennel especially when I leave her in there for about 5 days. She loses weight and she misses me. When I am the only one in her world, she doesn't like accepting new people.

The Snow Goatee

Molly loves the snow and does not mind sticking her nose in it. She comes up with a snow goatee after burying her nose in it and she looks like a canine Colonel Sanders. My friend Kim and I were talking today and this was the first time her dog Maisy had really seen snow. She said she didn't know quite what to do with it. She tried eating it, she tried biting the flakes as they fell to the ground and then she finally tried to play in it. Always a good choice. I went in to work late and Molly and I went out about four times before I ever left the apartment. We have also been out a couple of times since I have been home and she can't seem to get enough. Molly looks kind of regal with a Colonel Sanders snow goatee.

A Walk In The Snow

It was snowing pretty good when I got up this morning. As soon as I looked out my sliding glass door and saw how hard it was snowing, I immediately leashed up Molly and headed out for a walk. Molly and I love taking walks in the snow. It is so quite and peaceful. Molly is equipped with a natural four wheel drive so she has no problems. It is so quite a peaceful when it snows and Molly loves to play in it. Molly is also built for cold weather whereas I am not. I have found that ever since I got sick about a month ago, I am more cold natured than I ever have been. Molly also has more smells to cover and uncover and it is some real best friend/dog bounding time.

Biting The Hand

Molly bit someone today and I really hate that. I don't know what set her off and why she did it but that is only the second person she has ever really bit. When Molly meets someone new she usually has to assert her dominance by snarling and growling and showing her teeth. She had been friendly before but she just kind of snapped today. If she is going to bite someone I would hope that they would at least deserve it. There are plenty of people in this apartment complex that need to have a hunk taken out of their ass and for damn sure do not need to own a dog.

Puxatawney Phil

Puxatawney Phil only comes out one day a year and makes his prediction based on his shadow. Dogs make much more precise predictions based on atmospheric predictions because they can feel the changes in their body. They say that dogs can sense things about the weather like when hurricanes, tornadoes, and other bad weather strikes and they started acting very strangely and hyper and that made me start thinking about the cold winter weather. Most dogs put on winter weight to help protect them against the cold and here lately we have had some strange weather. It will be in the 70's one day and can only tell me that we are not down with winter yetighs in the 30's two or three days later. The past three or four days she has really been putting away the food. That tells me that we are not done with winter yet.

Packing Up

It looks like Molly and I are going to be packing up and moving again. Molly really doesn't seem to mind as long as she is with me and the same goes for me. Molly is getting some age on her and you have to wonder when it is going to be Molly's last stop. Her final resting place should be our former house in Hendersonville but I kind of think the new owners might object to Molly being buried in the woods behind the house where we took so many walks and chased so many rabbits and squirrels. Molly might very well be my last dog as it does take a lot of time, strength, and energy to raise and properly take care of a dog. That much effort does not compare to the rewards that you reap from owning a dog and scientists have done studies that have shown pet owners live longer than non-pet owners. I, however, am not in good health and it would be a disservice to a dog to not be able to properly care for him.