Molly - - Part two

Well, after having a dog for a while and deciding to keep the little schnauzer I learned who was boss. I changed her schedule. I now had her on a different one from the one she came with. This might work! I took the collar from around my neck and took the leash away from her and put the lead in my hand. Now we’re talking!

She was reasonably low maintenance. She still sleeps on the couch when she wants and looks at me with those big expressive eyes when she is just about to bust! She still gets up once during the night, but only once and I don’t have to go out with her.

A BIG problem with schnauzers' is that they are not too nice to company. They jump up, sniff and bark and bark and bark some more. Then when the guest sits down on the couch our dog Molly gets up against them and expects them to rub and pet her. She thinks they came to see her. I’ve discovered not everyone likes animals or if they like cats they don’t like dogs. They look a little uncomfortable and then reach out and pet softly, but you can tell they would rather Molly would go away, but why would she when she thinks they are there to see her?

Molly likes to go outside and run loose, but with a leash law in effect and no fence I can’t let that happen. Once in a while I sit outside and drink my coffee and let her roam the front part of our acre where she looks through the neighbors’ fence and aggravates their dogs then scratches the ground with her back legs and plunks dry grass at the dogs eyes who are pinned up as if to say, “Dumb Dogs, I’m free and you’re not”.

When It’s time to go inside she comes and she’s ready to get back in with the humans; however sometimes she ducks her head and takes off across the field to the neighbors for even more freedom. I have to chase her. If I don’t notice she’s gone she always comes back. Just needs to wet the neighbors’ fields and poop in them.

Molly laughs and plays and gives comfort to two little boys when they need her; she comforts a sick Pawpaw; and a Memaw who sometimes gets overwhelmed by life. Molly inherently knows when to just lie up against you and look up at you with her big brown eyes with the Groucho Marx eyebrows as if to say, “I’m here for you”. She is different from all the other dogs we ever had. When we moved to this house we brought our mixed breed Irish Setter named Sally. She’s another story. We loved her. Then when she went to live in Doggie Heaven along came Buttons right behind her. She was a Golden Retriever mix - - another delightful dog who even jumped on the trampoline with or without the kids. She had soulful eyes. She moved out when we got the boys. She tolerated one, but when another one came to live with us she said, “I’ve had it”. She trotted off to another home. We got her back and she left 2 more times, so wherever she is we hope she is happy.

In life you discover things made of sticks and stones, mortar and wood are not nearly as important as things with a heart. Things with a heart are more trouble than a beautiful couch or chair, but give us so much more than a piece of inertia. They breathe with us; they run with us; they get quiet with us and rejoice when we rejoice; they are loyal; they love; good pets are worry stones with personalty and expression! Am I saying this? Am I? Should I? EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A WARM BLOODED ANIMAL TO LOVE AND BE LOVED BY. There I said it, now I must go wash my mouth out with soap.

Oh, I forgot to mention the most wonderful, amazing cat ever, who lived with us for 14 years! That’s another story!

Our Dog Molly -- Part One

Our dog Molly keeps us entertained. When we first got her she was nervous; we had 2 little boys who did not know how to treat a dog. All they ever had was a stuffed bunny; so Molly was in for a transition.

Before us; she lived with her pal, Sam, a dachshund, and a young couple. Sam and Molly were their babies until the young couple had their own child. Unfortunately their baby was ill and they didn’t have time for the dogs between the hospital and home so she advertized the dogs on the district’s email. I wanted Sam, but Sam was spoken for already so I took Molly after seeing her picture and talking with the teacher who had her. I was told Molly was low maintenance; trained, all shots - - what a deal! I told her I would have to talk to my husband, but by evening I was traveling home with a dog for my boys.

Chick loves dogs and the boys were ecstatic; a few weeks before (read my blog Dog for a Day in archives) they had expressed their eagerness for a real live dog. Okay, Molly didn’t bite them; she looked at them and then politely ignored us all. I brought her toy ball (she wouldn’t play). I brought her dog collar; her special food; her carefully written out schedule which goes as follows: ½ a cup of Eukanuba dog food twice a day; poop at 5 a.m.; walk; poop at 8 a.m. walk; out at noon; again at 5 p.m. again at 8 a.m. and once more at 11 p.m. - - all this from her original Master. First of all: I don’t walk! Second of all: that schedule was more difficult than the boys’ schedule. Okay, I’ll try.

Night One: I fed her ½ a cup of Eukanuba. I went out at 8 p.m. and let her mill around the acre with me on the end of the leash. Finally she smells, she barks; she walks and drags me back and forth, back and forth and then poop! We go to bed; the dog vomits; Chick hollers; I clean up the mess. We go to bed, the dog poops behind Chick’s chair. I clean up her mess. I’m thinking transition – patience and all that good rot! Same night: Molly comes to my bedside at 3 a.m.; sniffs at me, runs for the door. I grab the leash and follow. I’m walking a dog in my gown; looking at the moon; nice night out….

This goes on for a week. I’m working; caring for boys; and now I’ve added a dog THAT won’t do what her previous master said she would do. I write the previous Master who tells me the dog is going through a transition and normally is low maintenance.

I will keep trying! The next day and for a month afterwards this goes on. She pays no attention to the boys, by now they have claimed her. A week later I am walking the dog at 3 a.m. looking at the moon and wondering about rainy nights; winter nights; nights when I don’t feel like walking. Also, I’m realizing the dog has now trained me! WHO HAS THE COLLAR ON?

Fishing anyone?

I met a guy in Texas back in 1960. I married him, but here 45 years later I wonder what we had in common. It wasn't fishing for sure. He loved it. In fact he would take me home after a date and head for the lake to fish. If he wasn't fishing he was thinking about fishing. He ate, drank, thought, dreamed, about fishing.

So, he asked me to go with him on a date. He wanted to be with me often then and get to do his favorite past time as well. I loaded up cokes; a book; my portable radio and some snacks and off we went. Me. 16 years old and him, 22 years old. He showed me how to put the bait on my hook. What? Me, touch those nasty worms and then poke a hook through its slimy skin - - no thanks!!!!!

He was putting the worm on my hook and I pulled on the fishing pole and at the other end of the pole was a curse word or two. I had hooked Chick's thumb and not the worm. UMMM! I have got to work on that. I turned on the music and all the old fishermen around began to grumble that is was too loud for fishing. They began to pack up and move on down the lake. Do fish have ears? I think not!

Well, that fishing trip wasn't what I would call a success so the next fishing trip we were with our friends Bobby and Charlsie in their boat. By then we were married. Chick had just sprung for a new rod and it cost a whopping $6.39. 10 percent of his salary at that time. We were in the boat enjoying just skimming the water; a nice summer day; no kids - -just the 4 of us on Lake Texoma. My rod started pulling forward and they were screaming, "Reel it in, you've got a BIG fish". I pulled and pulled (thought the end of the rod would go right through my gut), but I was anticipating a humongous catch. SUDDENLY....SUDDENLY...ker plop--the whole end of the rod disappeared. I apparently caught a log that got away! Chick turned pale and again, curse words flew from that mouth, and I think I saw a tear slide down his face. Bobby and Charlsie were laughing so hard they had fallen backwards in the boat holding their tummies. Me, I was thinking about Divorce Court.

I think I tried fishing one more time and I cast before I got the line over the lake and hooked a tree limb over Chick's head. He never asked me to go again! I'm sure glad he doesn't like to hunt.