No Fear

I can't remember what sporting goods company used the slogan "No Fear" but my six month old puppy should be in their ads. She is small and wiry, weighs 15 pounds, and will throw her body into anything with no second thoughts. Journey got to see her first snow last Saturday and she was all about the snow. She was running and playing in it and having a great time. The next morning there was 14" of snow on the ground and she immediately dove into a snow bank with no thoughts at all. I was struggling to walk through the snow while Journey was running around in four-wheel drive.

One Funny Puppy

Most people don't realize the joy and contentment a pet can bring into your life. I am lucky enough to have two of them, Ellie the Cat AKA "Ellie the Bellie" and Journey the Puppy AKA "The Turd." Ellie is an older cat (about 9 years old) and Journey is four months old. Ellie is not so much on the running and frolicking but Journey sure is.

Journey has fits of "random running disorder" I believe is what they call it and she has a natural obstacle course here in the house and she makes good use of it. Watching Journey have a running fit makes me and my wife laugh a lot and the things she can get into. She is constantly on the look out for shoes left out, items left unattended and toys to grab as she runs by. She has also developed a taste for cat turds when the litter box is left unattended. Cat turds must be a delicacy in the dog world but doo doo breath is not pleasant. We are hoping she can make the step up to Scooby Snacks.

Ellie and Journey

Ellie the Cat and Journey the Puppy are still trying to figure things out. While they are, it most often looks like an old Tom and Jerry cartoon. Ellie and Journey fight all day long, they will give each other a bath, and then they will lay down beside me and go to sleep. Then they get up and go at it again tomorrow. I sometimes have to separate them like a couple of two year olds, Journey is jealous as hell, but at the end of the night they are still sisters.

A Puppy Named Journey

My fiancé Tay had picked out the name Journey before we ever saw the puppy and the name really fits her. From the time we first met over a friend request on Facebook to our most recent engagement, for Tay and I, it has been all about the journey. The journey has taken us seven years to get to this point but we never lost touch and Tay never lost faith.


Journey the "Yottie" (A Yorkie/Scottie mix) is a perfect fit for us. Journey gets the sweetness of her personality from me and the Tasmanian Devil part of her personality from Tay. She is in North Carolina with me now and I will be the first to admit she has been a handful. I forgot how much energy a puppy has and Journey demands attention from everyone she meets. She likes people and loves to introduce herself with doggie kisses and all for belly rubs in return. Tay suggested that I bring Journey home with me so I wouldn't miss Tay so bad in between visits and it helps but when Tay comes to North Carolina, Journey and I will feel much better.

Along Comes Journey

My fiancé and I had talked about getting a puppy once we got married but my fiancé had an opportunity to get an 11 week old Yorkie/Scottie mix about a week ago and we took advantage of it. When we saw a picture of her, we both fell in love with her and it became a no brainer for us. My fiancé had already picked out the name "Journey" for her and the name fits her perfectly.


She picked Journey up on August 7 at about 4:30 and she immediately established herself as a Facebook star as we posted a ton of pics of her as did her two "Aunts." Everyone was wanting to lay claim to her as "their" dog but there was never any doubts as to who she belonged to. I did not get to see her until August 13 and she immediately ran to me and jumped up in my arms. We were off to a good start. Journey is like lightning in a bottle with the attention span of a gnat. She just goes around looking for things to get into. She is usually successful. Journey and I are going to get along great. She has such a sweet, loving personality but she has the ability to turn into the Tasmanian Devil at a moment's notice.


My fiancé and I decided that I should bring Journey home to the mountains of western North Carolina. There were lots of tears from both of us when I left. It was very tough to leave my fiancé behind because she belongs with me and Journey. Journey rides well and slept almost all of the way home. I brought her into the house and introduced her to the Ellie the cat. Journey did not even notice Ellie for about the first ten minutes but when she did, Journey greeted Ellie with lots of kisses. They are still trying to feel each other out as roommates. There were a few times that Ellie had to tell Journey to back off but it was all good.

Ellie the Cat Moves In

Ellie the Cat moved in about a month before Molly crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Ellie helped out during my grieving process and in a lot of ways I am still grieving the loss of Molly. Ellie helped with that transition but it has been over 20 years since I have had a cat. I forgot how temperamental, loving, and funny a cat can be. She will be licking my hand one minute and then be trying mangle it with her claws and teeth the next.

I can just look at Ellie and she stares back at me and I know she is plotting a sneak attack. She is a lot like Molly in the fact that she believes every time I am opening the refrigerator door, I must be getting something for her to eat. Every time I open the milk jug, she drops ninja style from the ceiling waiting for me to pour her some. She was an outdoor cat before I got her and she hasn't quite got the hang of the litter box yet. I occasionally go into the guest room where I keep the litter box and there will be cat turds thrown on the wall or sprayed on the floor. She has not reached the ceiling yet.

I will probably not write as much about Ellie because she does not have as much to say and I am still going to call this "Molly's World". This world of mine still belongs to Molly but she appreciates the fact that we are carrying on in it.

Molly Comes Home

When I realized that Molly was not going to make it much longer, I believed that it would be better for me if Molly passed away on her own. After going thru the whole process of having to have Molly put to sleep, I discovered that it was better when I gave her some help in getting across the Rainbow Bridge. Molly had been by me every step of the way. She had moved with me to Charlotte, Asheville, Hendersonville, Flat Rock, and East Flat Rock. She had been right by my side during countless surgeries, protecting me every step of the way. She dared anyone to come anywhere close to me. I became determined to not leave her side for one second. My Vet and my experience with him and his staff made the process bearable. He had known Molly since I first got her and Molly tolerated him much like most people tolerate the dentist. I only took her if I had to.

I decided beforehand that I wanted to have Molly cremated but I did not realize going to pick her up in her box was going to be such an emotional experience for me. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but I hadn't planned on being emotional. The Vet's office called me while I was in Greenville, SC for the day and as soon as they called I immediately came home to pick her up. The young lady in the office brought Molly's box out in a dark blue gift bag and handed it to me. I just peeked inside. A woman I went to high school with had brought her dog Cesar in for an office visit, and it never fails that when I get emotional, there are always witnesses. I only took a quick peek inside the bag before I left the Vet's office.

I opened it up when I got home and it was a much smaller box than I expected. Molly was not a small dog but she ended up in a small box. The box was very ornate with beautiful woodwork. I looked over all of the material that was inside her bag and it contained a pamphlet that had an article on the process of grieving for your pet. The pamphlet also had an article on what waited Molly on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge and what your pet did while they were there. I put Molly's box on the decorative table in front of my living room window along with a picture of her and her favorite leash. I felt better about my experience.

The Rainbow Bridge

I read somewhere not long ago that a dog owner would have a few thousand great days with only one bad one. That bad day would be when your beloved dog crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I knew that bad day was coming for me and on the 8th of March, 2018 it happened. I had to have Molly put to sleep. I had wrestled with the decision for a couple of weeks and I looked for any kind of a sign that she was going to pull thru. She was almost 16 and her eyesight and hearing were just about gone, and arthritis made it difficult for her to take walks and sometimes even stand up. She also had what I have heard referred to as "Doggie Dementia." Molly would walk into a corner of the room and just stand there. I don't think she knew where she was. I was looking for a canine Fountain of Youth and it just wasn't there.

I made the decision on Sunday and I decided that Thursday was going to be the day. Making that decision did not make it any easier. I was going to do it on a Tuesday but when Tuesday afternoon came, Molly had a good day that day and I could not bring myself to do it. I chickened out. Molly bit me on Wednesday morning almost down to the bone on my left hand. She had gotten her leg tangled up in her blanket and while I was trying to free her leg, she lunged and caught me. She did not recognize who I was. I knew right then that Thursday was the day.

Since this was her last few days, I made sure she got as many treats as she would eat and I normally did not give her can dog food but she got plenty of that as well. Molly still had a healthy appetite. I had to hold her up so she could eat, but by God, she ate. I also gave Molly as much love and as much petting as she could handle.

Thursday morning dawned clear and cool with a little bit of a breeze. Molly always enjoyed the cold weather so I thought this was a good sign. I came home from work early and luckily the people I work closest with at my job showed great compassion for me and Molly. I wanted to spend her last few hours with her and I could not help but break down a few times as I was sitting in my kitchen. It is a rare occasion that I did not want to leave work early but this was one of those times. My vacation was also set to begin tomorrow and at that point, I didn't care if my vacation started or not.

A good friend of mine, Robin, was going to go with me to the Vet's office. Robin had gotten to know Molly pretty well over the past year and I think Molly appreciated that. Robin drives an SUV with of a hatchback so we loaded her in there and put her blanket in there with her. I had given Molly a muscle relaxer to help her out some (I didn't want to get bit again) but Molly wasn't a fan of the hatchback, and tried getting out really quickly. I closed my head in the hatchback so our last trip together was not off to a good start.

The tears really started flowing from me when we arrived and I was unashamed in doing so. Molly was my best friend for almost 16 years. We had to sit in the waiting room for several minutes and that only increased my anxiety. They finally called us back and I picked Molly up and took her in there while Robin carried her blanket.

The Vet came in and talked to us for a few minutes and I cannot thank him enough for the kindness and compassion he showed me, Robin, and Molly during these final few minutes. My family has had an association with this Vet for about 40 years and I cannot say enough good things about him and his staff. He implored us to remember all of the good times we had with Molly and to try not to think of the way she was now. He took such good care of her even after Molly had left this world. Mine and Robin's hands were resting on Molly's side as she took her last breath and crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I spent a few minutes alone with her before I left the Vet's office to say my final good-bye. I also cannot thank my friend Robin enough for going with me because I truly needed the support.

We're Still Here

Molly and I took an extended sabbatical from Molly's World because she is really old now and nothing really exciting happens to us any more. It is considered an exciting day if Molly makes it outside in time to use the bathroom. Having a geriatric dog has its challenges, but that doesn't mean I love her any less. I have a roommate now there are three dogs in the house, and two out of the three are geriatric. We have Molly the mixed breed at 15 1/2, Lizzie the Chihuahua is 15, and Gracie the teacup Poodle is 6 soon to be 7. Molly favors Lizzie and follows her around the house whereas Molly and Gracie have minor disagreements usually around the dinner bowl.