Road Trippin' With Molly

Molly loves a good road trip even at her advanced age. She knew I was getting ready for a road trip when I started packing my bags late yesterday afternoon. When I started putting my bags on the couch Molly started nipping at my heels wanting to make sure that I did not forget her. The only bags I really need for any road trip are my bag full of medicine, my camera bag, and my book bag with lots of pens, a notebook, and something to read. Molly doesn't even need that much. I can buy treats on the way.

This road trip was just a real short one across town. Molly has a hard time handling the longer road trips because she likes to stand up the entire time and look out the window. She has also learned how to "lean" into the curves so she doesn't lose her balance. She is also a great back seat driver. She doesn't bitch, she doesn't gripe, and she doesn't tell me how to drive.

A Dignified Death

Molly has not been doing well lately. She is not suffering but she is getting old and the speed at which she is slowing down is very noticeable. It hurts me tremendously to see her like this. My ex-wife implored me not to let her suffer and I do not believe she is suffering. She sleeps the majority of the time now and I will know when it is time. Molly, and any dog for that matter, deserves to die a dignified death. She has been by my side the entire time and I owe her the same.

A Little Quiet Time

I have been at home for about four weeks now and I have noticed that Molly likes to sneak off every once in a while for a little alone time. She usually sneaks off to my roommate's side of the house, makes herself at home, and crawls up on his bed. I will sneak in there and check on her and she will be curled up and sound asleep. For human or canine, there is nothing like nap time.

The Dogs Of Main Street

The girlfriend and I went up on Main Street yesterday morning to walk around some and see what was new. The downtown area is very dog friendly and we could have taken Molly but I did not want to end up in jail. The first dog we ran into was an Irish Wolfhound. I knew they were big dogs but damn, this dog was long and lean and came up to my chest. He was very well behaved and well trained and I asked the man if I could take a couple of pictures of him. The man readily agreed and the dog posed beautifully for me. I got some great pics.

There was another large dog down there but the lady that was his owner did not act too friendly so I just watched him from afar. A Lhaso Apso wandered by while I was sitting on a bench eating a doughnut and this dog was all prim and proper and looked dog show ready. I have always thought those dogs had an elitist attitude anyway and this prance was no different. Molly would have been kicking his ass.

The Chase

Molly has been really dragging around the past several days and I have attributed it to old age. She really has had no pep or energy at all. This afternoon, I did find one thing that perked her up this afternoon. We were walking through the yard and we managed to spook a rabbit. You would have thought that Molly had been struck by lightning the way she perked up. We had to give the obligatory chase but neither one of us had the energy for that. Molly was content just to follow the scent through the woods until she lost it. It was great to see her have that spark even if it was for just ten minutes.

Dog Tired

Molly is one tired dog. Her recovery time is slowing down as fast as mine is. Once in a great while she will show that burst of puppy energy but it is now few and far between. The Memorial Day weekend was tough on her. There was a lot of people around, there was a lot of dogs around, and Molly was all over the place. She visited the neighbors, she visited the creek, we walked down to the mailbox, and by the end of the weekend all she wanted to do was nap. As long as she was napping near me she was fine. That also put her in close proximity to belly rubs every time I passed by or rolled over.

The Life Of The Party

My roommate had a cookout last night and Molly was not exactly the perfect hostess. She tried biting a few people, she snarled, she growled, and she got put in the bedroom. If I did not know better, I would say my father came back reincarnated as my dog. She is old and she is grouchy but I gave people fair warning.

Most people think they are "dog people." If you put a dog in front of them, they think they can become friends with that dog and have them eating out of their hands in five minutes. That is where Molly is a breed apart. Molly is 13 years old and I can probably count the times on one hand that Molly has allowed that to happen. She may wag her tail, she may sniff their hands, but then after that it is like watching the canine version of Jaws. I really need to start cueing up the shark music.

The Cross Bow Incident

I left Molly with my roommate yesterday afternoon and I'm sorry, but I always get nervous when I leave her in his care. He always puts her on a leash but drags her everywhere (and I mean everywhere) he goes. Last night he decides to get out his crossbow and do some target practice with Molly in tow. I was seriously not happy with that. I may start taking Molly with me everywhere I go.

My roommate's sobriety is a good thing but him being sober has been a pain in the ass thing for me. Instead of a liquored up stupor and beautiful silence, I now get non stop babbling and he has nothing important to say. He keeps talking until I decide to answer him. Molly is literally being dragged down that same road. This is when I have to apply the Three Musketeers theory- All for one and one for all.

Nap Time

Molly loves a good nap. According to Molly, there is no such thing as a bad nap. I tend to agree with her. We take naps in the morning, the afternoon, inside on the bed, inside on the couch, outside on the deck, outside in the lawn chair, just where ever we can fall asleep. Some of the greatest minds of our times believed in naps. History is never going to confuse me and Molly with being great minds but we do believe in the sanctity of naps.

Squab

There was an episode of Two And A Half Men where Jake used the word "squab" and it became a running joke through that episode. Jake thought it it was a creepy sounding word. "Squaaab."

Molly and I were taking our post-Physical Therapy walk this morning and we walked up on a baby bird that was really struggling to achieve lift off. The baby bird's movement of course caught Molly's attention but I wouldn't let her finish it off. I do not like for her to kill anything, especially something that is weak and helpless. No squab for Molly for breakfast. It looked like it may have been a baby Robin so I went out and took a few pictures of it. I kept Molly away from it so it could try to make it to wherever it was going.

Sounding The Alarm

Molly is a great watch dog and I don't mean the type that watches everything happen and then alerts you about it after the fact. If Molly does not like you, you are not going to come within fifty feet of the house. Molly has taken an intense dislike to the Construction Foreman that is working on the property five days a week and Molly starts barking at him as soon as she senses his presence.

The other night he was standing in the driveway talking on the phone and I was watching TV in my bedroom. Molly was out on the front porch taking her late afternoon siesta and all I heard was "Woof! Woo woo woo woof woof!" I thought someone like the UPS man might be at the door so I went to see what was going on. It was the Construction Foreman and I had to pull Molly back in the house so she would keep quiet. The Construction Foreman has developed a healthy fear of Molly.

Ground Hog Day

I was out walking Molly early this morning in a painkiller induced haze (my shoulder has really been bothering me) and we were walking along our road and I happened to look over and I saw a huge ground hog ducking into the culvert that ran beneath the read. At this point and time, I do not believe I was hallucinating but whatever it was did not want to be messed with and Molly and I were in no condition to mess with him. I never really understood the problem that people (namely my uncles) had with ground hogs because they look almost cute and cuddly. Anytime my uncles saw a ground hog, it was time to break out the rifles and go to blasting. It was kind of like watching a live version of a Yosemite Sam cartoon but with a lot more moonshine and cussing.

The Eternal Optimist

Molly is one of those the bowl is always half empty kind of dogs because her bowl is always half empty. She very vocally lets me know about it as well. She takes her paw and slaps the inside of her bowl and then she takes to barking if I don't notice the obvious. I think Molly could live off her fat like a polar bear anyway but I would never tell her that. She has never quite got that bikini body back fro m her younger years.

In Tune

Molly is in tune with my emotions and she knows when I am upset about something. She makes sure she watches out over me and her protective nature is amped up even more.

I am sure if Molly could fix the problem, she would bite a hunk out of someone's ass. I think it would do both of us some good because Molly has teeth like a vampire. I would definitely laugh. She can be vicious when she has to be or when pushed far enough. Never underestimate the power of your best friend, especially the canine version.

The Front Porch

The screened in front porch has always been very big in southern culture. In a lot of older neighborhoods, it is a hot spot of social activity. Whenever I go over to my Mom's house, the front porch is always where we end up congregating. We now have a screened in front porch and Molly is really enjoying that, especially late in the evening. It is nice and cool out there and with the front door open, it creates a nice draft through the house. That is one thing that Molly cannot stand is the heat. It really takes a lot out of her and I am hoping this small adjustment will help her out this summer. Now if we can just figure out how to get rid of the snakes, we will be in good shape.

What Is One More Snake?

Molly and I were taking our late afternoon walk yesterday and we happened upon another snake laying in the yard. This one was a real small Garter snake and I did not even know those things were still around. We were walking by and I happened to see him laying there just as still as he could be. I guess he was trying to blend in with the grass and he was doing a real good job because I barely saw him. He laid completely still, I guess hoping we would not notice him, and it worked because Molly did not pay him any attention at all. It was just another day in the Wild Kingdom.

Old Habits

They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks but an old dog doesn't forget the tricks he/she has learned either. Molly is a little bit of a hoarder. She has always tried to bury her food where ever she thinks she has to. In couch cushions, in the bed, in her bed, it doesn't really matter. Whenever I shut her up in the bedroom she immediately goes into hoarding mode. She takes her food bowl and starts swatting it around with her paw. She eventually bats the bowl into the corner of my room, spilling out most of the food along the way. She then tries burying her food in the corner of my room using her nose. Whenever I come back home, there is food all over the floor and I have to pick it up.

Maybe she is afraid I am not coming back and she needs to save her food for a rainy day. Whatever the reason, I always come back to a big mess and one dog that is very happy to see me.

Time Well Spent

Molly and I have been spending a lot of quality time together while I have been recuperating from my shoulder surgery. It has been time well spent. Molly and I sleep until about 7 AM (I am sorry but that is late for me) and then we get up and I take her for a leisurely walk in the cool morning area. If we are lucky, we get to chase a rabbit or two. The rabbits are usually out early in the morning. There are times that we get to see the sun rise through the trees. Other days we get to see the fog lift up over the mountains and there are days we get to see the rain fall. I never know what is on Molly's mind but I do know that she is glad I am home with her.

Snake!

Molly and I saw our first water moccasin of the year this afternoon on our daily walk to the creek. I had suspected something was down there in our previous walks. I never saw anything but I could hear a splash as something hit the water. My suspicion was confirmed when I happened to see the snake jump off the bank out of the corner of my eye and land in the water. It was black, about three feet long, and very thick around the middle and had those beady little snake eyes. They just look vicious. Water moccasins are aggressive snakes and they are not exactly loners. Where there is one there is usually several more.

My immediate response as I jumped about two feet in the air was "Holy shit, cat! That was a snake!" I have no idea where I came up with "cat" since I was with my dog Molly but that is what came out. In the excitement of the moment, I don't think Molly objected to being referred to as a cat, but we were both surprised when the moccasin did a swan dive off the bank into the water. I did not know snakes did things like that. She did not pay the snake much attention but we made a hasty retreat up the trail. I was paranoid as hell after that but Molly took it all in stride. Fear is a great motivator. She has never had a run in with a snake before and I want to keep it that way. Thinking they are there and knowing they are there are two completely different things. I believe we have taken our last walk to the creek for a while.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Molly loves the cold weather and the hot weather punishes her for it. The hot weather has returned and Molly has been dragging around the house for about three or four days now. I try to walk her early in the morning before it gets too hot and late in the afternoon when the sun goes down. It makes it much easier on both of us. I also try to keep her water bowl filled to capacity and she can keep cool that way. I also never lock her in the car when it is this hot (I never lock her in the car at all- The heat is one factor and the fact I believe she would try to drive off if I left the keys in it) because that is uber dangerous for a dog's health and I see it happen way, way too much.

Clean Sheets

I do not know what it is about clean sheets but when a pet smells clean sheets, they come running. Molly is no different. I was finally physically able to wash my bed linen yesterday afternoon. As soon as they came out of the dryer, I put them on the bed and as soon as they were on the bed, Molly made herself a nest out of the pillows and the quilt, and immediately set about to doing what she does best- take a nap. Molly is also a big fan of fresh laundry and really likes making a nest out of my socks and t-shirts.

Mother's Day

Molly would like to wish all you Mother's out there a Happy Mother's Day. Molly never had a chance to have a litter of pups because she was a rescue puppy and I am in favor of the spay/neuter programs. Molly is grouchy as hell now, I can only imagine what she would be like as a Momma dog.

Sick As A Dog

As a pet owner, it is very hard to watch your pet be sick, knowing you cannot do anything about it, especially as they enter the Golden Years of their life. Molly was very sick yesterday and it took so much effort for her just to be able to drag herself through the house. Her tail was down, her eyes were weary, and she did not feel well. She did not even want to go outside. Usually all I have to do is pick up the leash and she will meet me at the door. Yesterday she wouldn't even lift her head. She looks better and perkier this morning but I just try to baby her along and get her what she needs.

Time To Bark

Molly does not bark much as far as dogs go and I like that about her personality. That means when she barks there is some meaning behind it. If there is something in the yard that she does not recognize, then she barks at it. There is a lot of construction going on at the property I am living on and if there is a new piece of equipment out there that she does not recognize, then she barks at it. My girlfriend was sitting out in the yard yesterday afternoon and I brought Molly out. Molly took one look at her across the yard and started barking. "Woo, woo, wooo!" She stopped barking and started wagging her tail as soon as she recognized who it was. It was funny.

One Rough Week

My first week of Post Op recovery has been rough. The worst part has been trying to sleep at night. Luckily for Molly my inability to get comfortable enough to sleep has not affected Molly's ability to lay anywhere she wants and be asleep in five seconds or less. Day or night, it doesn't seem to matter. Molly is asleep soon after she closes her eyes. The first couple of nights after my operation, I tossed and turned all night long. I am pretty sure Molly stayed in the same position, sprawled all away across the bed. Molly allowed me to have my customary one foot of bed space. Luckily for me, I couldn't roll over to my right or I would have fallen out of the bed.

Painkillers And Dog Walking

I just recently had surgery on my right shoulder but Molly is not too forgiving when it comes to that fact. I have also discovered that painkillers and walking the dog do not mix. I had a really rough night pain wise last night so I was not in good shape when I woke up. The first thing I do when I wake up is walk Molly. That is Standard Operating Procedure. I was in a haze this morning and I barely remember putting the leash on Molly. I am not even sure I had clothes on. I do remember it being uncommonly cold this morning (I did not put a jacket on) but I do remember staggering back up the hill.

Molly At The Disco

The temperature dipped down into the 30's here last night and cooler temperatures, especially this time of year, always puts a pep in Molly's step. My roommate took her for about a 25 minute walk last night and she came back in all fired up. She was dancing and prancing through the house, running around and barking. My roommate made the comment "I don't think I have ever seen her act like that before." All we needed to do was cue up some KC and the Sunshine Band and have the spinning disco ball and Molly would have been set.