Molly My Angel

Born to fulfill a purpose and taken too soon over the rainbow bridge.

I was still with my abuser, and volunteering at an animal shelter.  She was in a small crate with another dog.  Covered in feces.  So skinny and lethargic it’s a wonder how she was even alive.  I brought her to the “cat side” where “no dogs allowed” was the rule.  She made herself a bed in a box I had brought in earlier with a bunch of stuff.  I fed her baby food because she was too weak to eat regular puppy food.  That sweet hound face, it just stole my heart.  I felt such a connection to her right away.  He named her Molly, but I liked it and it seemed to fit, so Molly she was.

Once we got her home, she seemed to be sicker than we first thought.  There was most definitely something wrong.  We watched her over night, she just slept and peed.  She wouldn’t eat.  She was so weak.  We took her to the vet the next day and they kept her there for observation, as the owner of the shelter refused to allow any testing to be done.  Then, he called me telling me that the owner of the shelter went and took her out of the vet’s office, against the vet’s recommendations.  I fought and fought with her and she wouldn’t budge.  She was keeping the dog because the dog was “better off with her”.

Two days later, I was at the shelter and what did I see?  This poor weak pathetic little creature tied to a tree outside the shelter. I called him immediately and told him to come get her.  By the time he got there, she was gone.  To the pet store where they were holding a 24hour adopt-a-thon.  In a cage so small she could barely move. 

After much hell-raising, somehow we got her back and just adopted her, since it clearly was going to be the only way to save her.  I can’t explain why, but I was absolutely compelled to take her.  Well, I can now explain why, but at the time I couldn’t.    By that night, she was clearly near death and needed immediate medical attention.  Because the shelter had refused to allow any care, we took her to our own vet.  $1000 later, she was like a new puppy.  Sadly, she was diagnosed with a portal-systemic shunt.  She needed to gain 30 – 40 pounds and become much healthier before the shunt could be further diagnosed and treated. 

I don’t really know what happened, but for some reason he and  Molly started not getting along.  Well, I suppose it could have been the candle flame that “she put her nose right up to”.  Or maybe it was the citrus air freshener that he “accidentally” sprayed in her crate while she was in there.  Or perhaps it was the fact that he was convinced she hated him and therefore she deserved to be taken to a shelter or thrown over the 5^th floor balcony.  Maybe it was the way he spoke to her.  Either way, it was a terrible situation and I knew that I could not live with it anymore.  She had already endured enough abuse and neglect in her short little life so far.

I had endured years of emotional and verbal and sometimes physical abuse.  Yet to see this sweet and helpless animal that everyone who met her was drawn to in an inexplicable way, to see this man treat her as he treated me, to see her terrified of him, was more than I could bear.

A few short months after coming into my life in such a tumultuous fashion, this sweet wonderful creature gave me the strength I needed to leave nearly 6 years of abuse.

I often wonder if anyone can possibly understand the extent of my love for this incredible dog, that they must think I’m crazy for being so affected by her.   I just ask them to think of this........the short but turbulent life she lived, for only a few months.......then, after finally rounding up the strength to leave an abusive relationship, why 2 weeks later she would have taken such a turn for the worse there was no coming back.  2 weeks after leaving, she went over the rainbow bridge.