Goodbye Mollyhead.

So it's been over a week and I've been thinking that I really should blog about this, not to be Debbie Downer, but out of respect for the situation and as a way to get closure for myself. I’m at peace with our decision and know it was the right thing to do and I thought I'd be able to post this without getting terribly choked up but as I typed the title my eyes starting filling with tears.

Last Monday, July 14th before I left for work I let Shelby outside for the day, Molly was already outside as she had been insisting, since we moved into the new house, to be let out the minute Darrell or my feet hit the floor. She ran by the window and I saw what looked like she had ripped her back leg open. I was in disbelieve, I ran to the door to get a closer look and it was as unbelievable as I thought but now that I was seeing it up close I knew it was real. I called Darrell because I had no idea what to do.

You see Molly had been sick for about 6 months now, in and out of the vet, tested, medicated, but never fixed. About a month ago Darrell and I had come to the conclusion and we were going to let her live her life out. In this moment that decision was tested. Every bone in my body wanted to rush her to the vet but deep down I knew that it would be in vein. I bandaged her up and went into work. On my way in I called Darrell who set up a final appointment at the vet. At noon on July 14th we took her in.

The vet talked to us about our concerns we thought that she might have been loosing sight in one eye because it was starting to look as if a cataract was forming over her right eye. The vet noted that even dogs that go blind in both eyes are very self preserving and usually don’t have accidents like this. She believed it was something more. Between all the vets that we had seen some thought it was auto immune anemia, others thought it was Addison’s disease, and another thought it might be cancer. I think it might have been a brain tumor, but we will never know for sure.

Only God knows what was wrong and why it was her time to go. We miss her terribly but are relived that she is not sick or suffering any more. She was one of my favorite things. She was my constant companion when I moved to Dallas after college and got my first big girl apartment and job. She was there for Darrell as his “cuddle buddy” when his job in Boise fell through and he spent a month living with us in California before he found this job in Portland. She was a friend to my friends and family to my family. The house and yard still feel a little empty without her.

For those of you who knew Molly I think that I sorta felt that I owed it to Molly to tell you what happened, rather leave it to you to figure out when she’s not in this year’s Christmas card. For those of you who never got the chance to meet Molly you should know that she would have, much to her mother’s chagrin, greeted you with her front two paws on your chest, licked your feet when you were sitting on our couch (I’m still not sure who convinced her that humans like that), done tricks for you while you threw her treats, and rubbed her face with her front two paws when you blew in it. She was so soft that you wouldn’t want to stop petting her and when you did she would let you know her disapproval by pawing you (not a little paw paw but she would raise her paw as high as she could and then plop it down on you, it was really quite adorable).

So this is my tribute to Molly; click below for some of my favorite pictures:

Molly Smith-Prochaska