"Hey, The Ceiling Is Leaking Again"

Yesterday afternoon, I was getting ready to go somewhere and I was scurrying around my apartment trying to get ready and I walked into the bedroom and Molly was laying in her pet bed rather than on my bed. I thought that was rather odd and I hoped to look over and my ceiling right up above my bed was leaking like a faucet. I do not even live on the top floor. Molly wanted nothing to do with that so I had to move the bed and put a bucket under the leak. Our 24 hour emergency number for the apartment complex is a joke and I should just take Molly over there and let her bite someone on the ass.

Ghost Dogs

I took a haunted tour of Asheville last night and learned all sorts of cool stuff about Asheville I did not know and it got me to thinking about ghost dogs. I believe that a dog has as much soul and spirit as a human being. Any time you hear a ghost story involving a dog, the dog is always benevolent and the devotion to his master is still there even in the spirit world. I also believe all dogs have a benevolent, earthly life form and that it is the owners that turn them mean spirited whether it be intentional or through mistreatment. When a dog does pass on from this life and he sees the need to come back via the spirit world, he returns to his natural, benevolent state. Molly would be something else as a ghost. Her devotion to me is second to none and it would be her spirits willingness to let other people interact with me that I would be curious about. She doesn't let many people do that now and I wonder how her spirit would approach that subject. I believe she would watch over me and warn me of any dangers that might befall me until I could join her on the other side.

A New Kennel

I am getting ready to go out of town for a few days in another week and I agonized over the decision to put Molly in a new kennel or not. There is one from my apartment about 5 miles away compared to the one I normally take her to in Hendersonville that is about 25 miles away. The deciding factor was the cost effectiveness of the one that was much closer. That was providing that it past my inspection. I stopped by there yesterday afternoon to drop her shot records and see if there was anything else I needed to do as far as that was concerned and they gave me a tour of their facilities. It is not as nice a set up or as animal friendly as the one in Hendersonville but I am only going to be gone for the weekend. I told my "tour guide" that I basically just needed her fed, watered, and for them to keep her alive until I got back from Wilmington. She kind of laughed at that but she hasn't met Molly yet, either. I had to come home and break the news to Molly and she accepted it with her usual stoic attitude but we haven't got to the kennel yet, either.

Wasted

I hate to see a good dog go to waste. Unfortunately my apartment complex is full of those. There is one lady and her daughter that live in the building up above me (the daughter is in her 20's) that have a beautiful Husky puppy that is probably 4 months old by now and they never walk that dog more than 30 yards from their apartment door. He gets walked up and down their sidewalk in front of their building and on a good day, gets to go across the parking lot or down to the end of the sidewalk in front of my building. They need to get that puppy out and run and play with him, teach her how to fetch, and all sorts of other tricks. If you are not going to bond with your dog then why bother having one? I thought about asking them if they wanted me to walk her but Molly quickly vetoed that idea and besides, I did not want to look creepy. The health benefits of owning a dog have been proven in studies and even on days I do not feel like it, Molly gets me off the couch for an hour or two a day for exercise and bonding time. Her and I both benefit.

Dog Training?

I was out walking Molly this afternoon and we are traveling through the parking lot to my apartment complex when I glance over and see a car sitting there with a logo plastered on both sides advertising dog training in your home. It was probably just a Dog Whisperer wannabe. About that time a man comes trotting down the stairs, probably in his early 30's, and he saw me out with Molly. He approaches us and introduces himself, tells me about his business, and he starts to hand me his business card. However, Molly was going to have none of that and she went after him. She jumpas off the ground, snapping and growling, and my response to his sales approach was "Molly says she doesn't need training." She may not be friendly but you have to like her style.

Describing Your Best Friend

How do you describe your best friend? Many adjectives have been used to describe dogs throughout history with loyal and faithful probably being used the most often. Molly and I don't have much longer together as a team and I don't know if can use enough adjectives to describe Molly. That was one of the reasons that I started writing Molly's World. I wanted to give Molly a voice and I wanted to help bring life to her character. Molly is not your normal dog. Molly is in many ways a canine version of me. She has never been a lap dog, doesn't let strangers pet her, and is a lone wolf if there ever was one. She doesn't have to do any of that. All she has to be is loyal, faithful, and protective of me. In that, she is without a doubt, the best friend I have.

Spring Might Finally Be Here

Molly loves the cold weather but she also loves all of the different smells associated with spring. Spring also brings out all of the other dogs in the neighborhood that we haven't seen all winter long because their owners do the "sprint and in." They sprint outside long enough for their dog to do his business and then they sprint back inside. When Molly and I were locked out of my apartment for an hour and a half back in January in 15 degree weather, it didn't faze her a bit. She wanted to go exploring. I wanted to set my shoes on fire.

The Glass Is Half Full Or The Bowl Is Almost Empty

The Glass is half full versus the glass is half empty has always been a optimist versus pessimist analogy but Molly likes to take a different approach. Its the bowl is empty versus the bowl is empty. She starts letting me know she is out of food when she is down to about 3 or 4 bites and I dutifully go pull the bag of food out of the closet and fill it until it is on the verge of overflowing. Then Molly is happy and can be optimistic that she is not going to run out of food.

You're In My Spot

Molly is very territorial and that territory extends to whatever is within her eyesight. Especially her food bowl. Anytime I have any guests come over Molly immediately goes to her food bowl and empties it. She has taken food hoarding to a whole new level. Molly will eat until the bowl is completely empty as well. I would hate to see what she would do if another dog came over.

The Odd Dog Out

Any new relationship is hard on people as you try to figure out if it is going to work or not and if you fit together and have any sort of a future together but what is forgotten in all of this is the animals of the two people involved. In this case, its Molly, another dog, and four cats. Molly has been with me for thick and thin and I am trying to figure out a way to "introduce" her to the larger, eclectic family group. Because of Molly's inability to get along with other animals and people, it is going to be much harder but I am going to try my best. Molly deserves the best because I have always.... sometimes.... occasionally.... got her best.