Meet Molly ....

So, we officially became dog owners yesterday!! And if you talked to us before we adopted, this dog might not look like what you thought we'd bring home! Before I go into details of Molly, a quick look back. Our requirements were a mellow dog that was big enough for hikes and runs (no offense Teca). We said that we didn't want a dog as large as a lab - too much to handle and too excited.

We went to the shelter on Friday to meet a medium sized dog called Chester. He was a terrier, border collie mix. We quickly realized that he was too much for us. While he was medium sized, he was extremely muscular and strong. He was very excitable and definitely was going to be hyper and excitable as well as dominate with other dogs. While we were visiting Chester we saw a black lab named Myla. We recognized her from the website, but thought that she had been adopted because she had been off the website for about 2 weeks. We stopped to say hi to her at the front of her cage and she was very sweet. Happy to see us and have us pet her, but no jumping or barking.

Over the weekend I went back to see another medium sized dog that had been put onto the website, but the dog already had a hold on it. It was a long haired dog, and truthfully with Dave's allergies probably more than would be good for us. I didn't see Myla that day because she was out for a walk with a volunteer. There was a note from a volunteer on her door that said she is very sweet.

Fast forward to Monday, we'd talked about what we wanted in a dog over the weekend some more and realized a few things. Size didn't matter (just in case you thought it did). Really, what we were most concerned with is a sweet temperament. After work we went to see Myla and decided that she was the doggie for us. We spent about an hour with her and talking to one of the workers and a volunteer. The adoption was very easy and they answered all of the questions we asked. From there we went to PetSmart to pick up some needed supplies (like 2 beds - one for the living room and one for our bedroom). When we got home Dave kept her on the leash and walked her through the house. She sniffed and explored and then we took her off her leash. She drank some water and then hung out with us in the kitchen as we made dinner. She was interested in the counter tops for a bit, but quickly laid down by the refrigerator and watched everything from there. When dinner was ready we moved to the table and she didn't make a move. She stayed where she was and we enjoyed a very quiet meal.

After dinner she played quietly with a toy for a few minutes (she was quiet, the toy squeeked!), but mostly just hung out near us and seemed happy. So far, the bathroom business has happened outside as we'd hoped for. And when it was time for bed, she came up with us got onto her bed and stayed there until 6am. She did say hi to each of us 1 time during the night when we got up to use the bathroom, but she got right back onto her bed.

Her original owners surrendered her to the shelter because she got too big and excitable. They had her when she was a puppy and the full grown size was more than they wanted. She lived out in their garage (we learned this from her medical records) and probably didn't get much exercise. Then she was adopted for a few weeks but a single mom with 3 kids that lived in a small place. Sounds like again, they didn't do anything for exercise and there was just too many people/dogs inside (they had no yard).

She seems to know her name, Myla, but given we've got a Maya in the family it is too close and we stumbled on the name. So, trying to keep it similar sounding Molly popped into our heads and we liked it. Molly is currently about 77 pounds and has a few pounds to lose. She's all black with a small white stripe on her chest. Her coat is very soft and she's in good health. In the short time we've known her we still haven't heard her bark. When Dave left for work today she sat at the door to the garage until the noises had stopped. She then trotted to the front door and looked out the glass for a minute or so. Then she laid down. Granted I was here, but she wasn't whimpering or scratching or anything. I'm staying home today and Dave will be home about 12:30. Molly and I are going to explore the backyard (we've kept her too the side yard for her business) and then we'll take a walk. I'm going to leave her alone for about 15 minutes before Dave gets home. Our afternoon plans include the dog park as well as both of us leaving to run an errand. Dave's not working on Wed. so we'll have another day to monitor her and help her get used to her new digs. Then on Thurs. he works until about 12:30 again. So, she won't have to be alone for a super long stretch. I'm hoping to have better pictures soon, but I figured everyone wanted to see and hear something!!