Over time, dogs have demonstrated their loyalty, love, compassion, and dedication in a variety of ways, including protecting and saving the lives of humans, to name just a few. Dogs and humans have been best friends for thousands of years, and their relationship is still envious to those who do not have one.
Thus, seeing these canine heroes, our dearly loving best friends, in devastating situations is utterly heartbreaking, and most importantly, getting them to be able to live their absolute best life later on is of utmost and paramount concern and importance, which must be duly addressed and on time as this remains a way to show them we still love them despite the years of living and loving that have transpired between us.
The story of Molly, a golden retriever, breaks our hearts to the core, and thus the need to tell her story is important because, indeed, she’s a brave one.
Molly was an abandoned canine that had been roaming on the street for all the necessities of a dog’s life (food, water, and shelter) for a long time, of which no one was certain. But this story is not the story of her abandonment. While one would sympathize with her for having lived that life for a long, uncertain time, this story is about her bravery and courage to thrive again in life after grieving. Molly along the line fell pregnant, and she was happy because after a while she was going to get a companion. Even though she suffered a reduction in her appetite like the normal physiological symptoms of a dog’s gestation have been, knowing there was no one she could depend on for the basic needs of life and also knowing how valuable her expected puppy(s) would be to her and the potential relationship they could build saving her the throngs of loneliness, she would struggle out of her sleepy state to feed for the sake of her unborn puppy(s).
She lived like that until she was strong enough to roam around with the little burden of her pregnancy, and when she was due, she gave birth through the normal process, even though, with much pain and suffering, she was happy to bring forth a pup(s) into the world. But trouble arose when the puppy wasn’t breathing upon delivery.
MOLLY CRIES OUT FOR HELP FOR THE LIFE OF HER PUP.
Molly tried nudging and prodding, but the pup wouldn’t even move to show a sign of life. Molly realized she needed to get help. She carried the pup in between her teeth and ran seeking rescue, the place was deserted, so there was no hope she would get any before the pup passed. She kept running when she got to an intersection, She stopped, dropped the pup, and tried prodding again, but it didn’t work out. If one looked slowly and closely enough, one would see the sign of despair in her eyes. A shelter worker who was seeing this play out moved closer to her to see what the problem was. A call was made to ensure both mother and pup got the necessary treatment, especially the pup, who doesn’t seem to be breathing anymore.
By the time they got to the clinic, the pup was long gone, dead on arrival.
Molly was cleaned and bathed to get off the bloody discharge on her body, the only sign of having been pregnant for 63 days, but as they did this, Molly barely moved, she just laid down and let them do what they thought was necessary. It was evident to everyone that she was grieving even though she couldn’t verbalize it and they all sympathized with her, one because they couldn’t change the narrative by moving the hands of time to when the worker was early and she got the needed help on time, and the other because they understood her pain.
After a thorough checkup, she was taken to the shelter in the hope of a quick recovery and a chance at a better life.
THE TERRIFYING PHASE OF HER LIFE.
Everyone hoped for a quick recovery for Molly, but the grief was heavy. It simply overwhelmed and enveloped her in such a way that she couldn’t see any positivity in life at that time. As if everyone who wanted a dog could see through her pain and suffering, none of them wanted anything to do with her, not to mention adopting her. Everyone thought she would be a burden to them instead of bringing new and refreshing energy into their home. And so, Molly recoiled in the shelter’s deepest part, where she wouldn’t be disturbed by the incoming and outgoing traffic; it was as if she had shut down her affectionate side and had little or no care for the world anymore. The only time she seemed to show signs of movement was when she was feeding, drinking, or doing numbers one and two, and those were not even that frequent. Just as she had lost interest in life, she had lost interest in eating as well. She slept even more, making it evident that she was indeed depressed. Every worker was worried she wouldn’t get the happy ending she needed and get her big break, so they tried desperately to see her come out of it but Molly was in despair.
A CHANCE AT A NEW LOVE.
Not until one day, when a couple came into the shelter to adopt a dog and ended up insisting that Molly was their dream dog and no other golden retriever could do that for them, did everyone feel she might be getting a chance at the good side of destiny after all. All and sundry were happy for her, knowing that not only would she be getting a new home after years of being abandoned but also that she might be getting better from her grief. Papers were signed, due protocols were addressed, and Molly was given to her new humans to potentially start life afresh.
No one was surprised when Molly didn’t come forth emotionally when she was brought into her new home, well, except the couple. They knew something was wrong with her, but not that she had been affected that much, and they agreed that they had to do something for her to come out of her shell and be a happy canine once again. She was taken to the vet, who first ran blood and uptime tests to rule out systemic problems that could have affected her behavior, such as electrolyte imbalance, diabetes, etc, A therapist was recommended for her for behavior modification therapy, and medications were prescribed for her.
Her therapy began, and little by little, Molly started coming out of her grief, Even though she still knew she had lost a pup, she was beginning to be brave enough to start life anew.
The couple also helped her at home by making sure she got all the love they could offer. Molly gets to go to amusement parks with the couple so she can play with children, and they notice that it gives her joy and endless shows of it when they arrive home, so they include it in their schedule to go more. They would play fetch, go on walks, go for a drive, and in the house, they showed more affection and love to her by encouraging her to cuddle with them in bed, on couches, and everywhere possible, She also got stuffed toys, which she started playing with endlessly in the house. The couple was showing her a new way to life, and the end isn’t even here yet.
The couple was advised to call her instead of approaching him and to praise her upon answering, this too often distracts her from going deep into her thoughts.
Even though it took a while, Molly was soon unstoppable in her happiness, compassion, and display of it. She would climb chairs to get the couple’s attention and climb onto the couch herself to initiate cuddles and hugs.
Molly became the exact image of happiness, which consequently made the couple happy too. They were grateful, they could help her come out of her misery, where she had a chance at fulfilling her purpose again. We are happy and proud of both the couple and their dog, for their efforts in seeing her through this important process of healing in this part of her life.
Her story remains an inspiration to not just dogs but also humans, showing them that grief isn’t the end of life and that life is still in motion as long as one’s still breathing above the earth’s surface.