Molly's Puppies Are Growing Up!

Update 11/27/06: I'm posting an update to report that Molly passed away on 11/24/06 from lymphoma, aged approximately 6 or 7 years. Grendel and Ginger continue to be with our family, although our house is a little emptier now. I will continue to maintain these pages as a tribute to our little but mighty Molly, who took over our hearts and home like a force of nature, ever smiling, right to the end.

We've been keeping track of the puppies as they grow up, and thought it was time to show some new pictures.

Bob now goes by the name of Buddy, or, sometimes, Bob. He's a big guy now, with a heavy-set build like a Newfoundland or a St. Bernard, weighing in over 60 pounds. Not having seen him since last fall, we were amazed at how much his looks have changed - I don't know if I would have recognized him. But his personality is still the same. The picture on the left is Bob/Buddy at 7 months with his sister Ginger, whom he dwarfs! Buddy shares his home with Chloe, a Skipperke who is up there in years, and is just a little bigger than a cat. Needless to say, Buddy is the one getting bossed around by Chloe at home.

We haven't had a chance to see her in person yet, but we've been told that Socks is a lot like her brother Bob. She's just a little bit smaller than he is, but has that same big build, floppy ears and more shepherd markings than she had as a puppy. Her owner has said that adopting her was one of the best things that she ever did.

This is Ginger, sitting for a treat. She has recovered from her broken leg (caused when a grown-up German Shepherd slipped and fell on top of her when she was 10 weeks old). Except when she's been playing hard, her limp is gone. Her temperament is a lot like Molly's - very happy-go-lucky and energetic. On outings to the dog run in Hawthorne with Buddy and Grendel, she's the one vaulting over the backs of the bigger dogs and looking for things to do, like running, more running, and even more running. That's her, begging for a treat, on the left.

Joey/Domino's owner works in the local supermarket, and keeps us updated regularly with picture of his boy. Just like when they were puppies, he looks just like his sister Ginger, but bigger - around 55 pounds at the moment. He's very well behaved, housebroken, and his owners are also very happy with him.

Moose is a big guy, too, according to Domino's owner - sounds like he's around Buddy's size.

This is Lounge Lizard Grendel at seven months, the same day as the pictures of Ginger and Bob were taken. If you look at the picture below of him and Molly at the same spot, you can see how much he's grown. Frankly, he's a pony. He walks, eats and runs like one. He's about 55 pounds, and, he's not that much smaller than big brother Bob/Buddy, though he is more houndy-looking and thinner-built. He looks so different from Molly that it's hard to believe they are related - his back and head are at least six inches higher than her's, and he has a larger, Rotty looking head. His favorite things are horsing around with Momma Molly and patrolling the driveway to do his inspection of the street in front of the house. He has a fascination with the recycling truck and other big trucks; he sits, transfixed by them, and refuses to leave where ever he is until he can no longer see them. He doesn't bark at them, or try to catch them; he just STARES at them as if he's trying to figure out what they are! He's a good boy (just don't mention the word housebreaking to me, because he still needs a little help with that one!), and he's a very quick learner when he's motivated by lots of Good Boys and Cheerios. Especially the Cheerios.

If Gren is a pony, Molly is a Mack Truck. She's stocky and strong as one. She's calmed down a lot inside the house, but she's the most dog-social dog I've ever owned and is very hard to walk because she wants to play with every dog on the block and remembers where each one lives. She'll pause, bark, and wait to see if anyone answers in front of each house, as if she's asking them to come out to play! At the dog run, she's a flirt, playing with everyone for a few moments at a time, sort of making the rounds. The biggest problem remaining is that she's an escape artist that will run off if given the chance to force open a screen door or literally drag a tie out stake from the ground and run down the street with it and fifteen feet of aircraft cable still attached to her collar. We now have a tie out stake for big dogs that looks like a boat anchor and is hammered 24 inches into the ground! Sadly, this is probably how she ended up a stray in the first place. Since taking her to the dog run and letting her off leash there, she's come back to her own back door after a lap around the immediate neighbor's border collies the one time she did get out, so we hope to eventually get her to be less of the escape artist. Plus we are putting up an airlock fence at the rear door.

We have not heard from the owners of the rest of the puppies, and if anyone reads this, we'd love to hear how they are doing, so please contact us.

As of 9/8/01, all the puppies had homes or prospects for homes. Thank you everyone that emailed me, and I am sorry that I could not respond to you all, especially the dozens of people who wanted to invite Socks into their home. If you are still looking for a puppy, may I suggest the link to Petfinder on the bottom of this page, and the Petfinder site itself. You can search by age, breed and location, and can also view a list of shelters local to you.

For those interested, all of the puppies found homes nearby, mostly with families with other dogs and older children. Three of them are now "only children", in adult homes. We hope to keep in contact with them as they grow up and will try to post updated pictures if we can. Again, thank you for all the support out there - it helped get our family through this "Puppy Summer".

On June 23, 2001, we adopted Molly, a shepherd/husky mix from a local shelter. We had gone to the shelter in hope of adopting a teenage puppy we had seen on Petfinder (www.petfinder.org). But we were late, and the puppy had been adopted by the time we got there. Disappointed, we asked to see another dog I had seen online, mainly because she was described as "happy-go-lucky ". When they bought her out, she proceeded to lick everyone, and then to roll on her back for a belly rub. How could anyone pass up a sweet girl like that?

The shelter knew nothing of her background. She had arrived there as a stray on May 29, with a large shaved spot on her flank and an injury that appeared to be healing. There was a suspicion that she might have been in heat when she came in, but the shelter could not confirm it. They impressed us with the need to get her spayed immediately "just in case", and resolve any issue of potential puppies.

The following Friday, we took her to see our vet, planning to get her examined, updated on her shots, and to make an appointment to get her spayed right away. The vet took a look at her, and ordered an ultrasound. Not only were the suspicions correct that she was pregnant, she was past the point where spaying was an option to us and the vet. So we waited another ten days, and, on July 11, Molly presented us with nine puppies, father unknown. However, our guess is that he looked a lot like Molly, because almost all the puppies do, too. (Molly isn't talking!)

We've given them names, and, on July 31, started them on a little soft food. We started them on puppy basic training when they were four and a half weeks, and walking on a leash at five and a half. They are also learning about the "H" word - housebreaking, and are eating dry food since August 20th. (Molly was still nursing them at bedtime - seemed she's was not quiet ready to completely wean them yet, but in the past few days, she grabs them by the head and pushes them away, so I guess she's had enough!) Molly, by the way, is now housebroken herself, and loves to help us contain the puppies when we take them outside in the yard to relieve themselves. She's also having a grand old time with all these little playmates around to teach manners.

The puppies are now available to go to their new homes. We are asking that prospective new parents have someone home during the day to train the puppy, and that they agree to spay/neuter the puppy when it is old enough. (One accidental pregnancy in the family is enough!) Meanwhile, take a look, and contact us if you are interested. Please take a moment and sign our guestbook, too.

Puppy Name

Comments

Picture (at 20 days old)

Picture (at 30 days old)

Picture (at 42 days old)

Bob

Male. Longish hair. Border collie or spaniel markings, including the white tip of his tail. Bob is smart and listens intently and really seems to want to please everyone! Bob has now gone to live with Natalie and her Dad, a very happy ending since Natalie fell in love with him when he was only three weeks old and things didn't look too possible for her. Now he'll get to visit with Ginger and Grindel when he's in the neighborhood!

Socks

Female. Fuzzy coat. Big white socks on her front feet, white toes on her hind feet. Some tan shepherd markings, too. If you are one of the people that emailed me about adopting Socks, please be patient. Everyone seems to want her, and we will get back to you in the order you contacted us until she finds a home.

Joey

Male. Shorter hair. Shepherd markings. Very mellow guy who loves to be picked up and cuddled - and his new owners approve. Joey (renamed Domino) has gone to live with a 12 year old adoptive big brother and his human family, the DiAngelo's.

Little Girl

Female. Fuzzy coat. Shepherd markings. Loves to put her head in your hands. Little Girl, who was a family favorite, has gone to be the family favorite of the Albanese family. We will miss this sweet girl.

Max

Male. Fuzzball. Mostly black with white blaze on his belly and chin. Escape artist with a lot of energy who knows that the back yard is for - er - doing his business, and leashes are for eating. Max has gone to live with his new family, the See's.

Grindel

Male. He has silver and tan shepherd markings and a soft coat. The runt - the other puppy pictures show how much smaller he is! He had a medical problem - he coughed and choked from age 10 days for reasons our vet could not diagnose. He is no longer coughing, but he still small and uncoordinated. He was the first to open his eyes, walk and bark, and he beats his siblings to food and toys! For now, he has wormed his way into our hearts, so he's going to stay with us until we are sure of his future.

Little Boy

Male. Long legs and a short coat. Shepherd markings. He's quiet and sweet, until he wants to play, that is, but even then he's a gentle soul. His only flaw is a desire to escape from the playpen by heading over the side - he's the one we are most likely to find wandering the hall at three AM or sleeping unexpectedly on the floor with Mom. Little Boy (renamed Reilly) has gone to live with the Sheils family.

Mike aka Moose

Male. Fuzzy husky coat. Silver and black markings, with white toes. He looks different from all the rest, and he's the independent of the bunch. He loves to play with Mom; as he gets older, he is showing more and more of his Mom's personality. Moose has gone to live with his new family who won us over with their enthusiasm for him!

Ginger

Female. Short hair and shepherd markings. Ginger has gone to live with her new big brother Freddie, a GSD/greyhound mix and former rescue dog. Latest word is that they are dancing around together just fine. (Update: Ginger is now wearing a splint for a spiral fracture of her rear leg. She was playing with another, full grown GSD, and he tripped and fell on her. Not needing surgery, the vet has assured Ginger's owners she'll be better in a few weeks.)

Ginger's gone to her new home.

Gren at 10 weeks	Gren at 14 wks	Gren's favorite spot - 14 wks	Yeah, it's a dog's life! Molly and Gren (15 wks)

Bob/Buddy about to spring at a treat.	Ginger, Freddie (Ginger's foster brother) and Buddy being bribed to hold still for a nanosecond.	Gren's a bit squashed under the desk now	Molly tries to squeeze in, too.





Animal	Breed	Zip Code