Dog Capsule
Then he saw her, all three pounds of flea invested fur had been peaking her head out of a cardboard box all night as he worked. She had been brought to
give to someone else, but the lady said her husband was definitely against it, my husband said he couldn’t NOT bring her home.
Even my 8 and 10 year old voted not to keep her because of the previous dog. They knew that cute fluff ball would grow up and possibly terrorize them, so after the 3 to 4 family vote, my husband said, “You all are crazy”. (In the years to come, my husband would look at Molly and say, “I’m the only one who voted to keep you!”)
But, what he didn’t quite understand is what an animal lover I truly am and so I said, “Well, let’s get her checked out at a vet, keep her for a week to see her personality and then we will decide.”
As you read in the beginning, we had her 14 1/2 years, so obviously we decided and it paid off. She was the best dog.
She was easy to train, learned her boundaries, understood most everything we told her, she was loving, loyal, would let other dogs take her food, or treats. I often joked that she was a good christian dog.
As I lay on the floor next to her old body. She had become hard of hearing, seeing, seemed to be showing some dementia, fell often, and had began soiling herself, and I knew we had to say goodbye. But saying good bye to a good dog, isn’t just about the dog.
Good family dogs are time capsules.
They walk through our lives with us, making memories, reminding us of moments. Moments like, walks with the kids after dinner, the kids coming home school to her excited welcome. Memories of trips, she traveled with us in our camper, memories of the kids making obstacle courses for her to navigate, playing hide and seek with her, and as my daughter once reminded me through tears: “Molly is our one family connection to life before Mason had seizures”.
Her love of pizza and how she once woke me up to get some pizza out of the oven my husband had heated up as a late night snack. Both he and Molly were appreciative I got up!
Memories of a lot of love. Memories of having a dog like you see in the movies…
I didn’t think they existed before Molly.
Of course, as soon as we decided to keep her, I prayed, “God, if we keep her, let her be the best dog”. And she was. God knew that she was, I think that’s why we got her in the first place.
Still, I cry as I write this, as I think of running my hands over that black and white fur, soft and fluffy like an old bear. The fur that, when she was younger, would shed endlessly and we always had to use lent rollers as soon as we reached the car. I thanked God for her, I thanked her for being a good dog.
My mind looked at her and just like a time capsule, I could see her cute face peeking up at me in the middle of the night (I let her sleep in a box next to my bed the first two weeks we had her) and it made me feel like I was caring for a newborn. Getting her healed my heart during a time I was saddened to know I could have no more babies. Having her made walks fun, gave my children a new responsibility, made us a complete family.
So one year ago, we buried our time capsule.
She is the end of a chapter of our lives. It just so happened, losing Molly coincided with a lot of good changes coming. Engagement, weddings, all the children grown. So maybe that was even more of my emotion than I had time to think about then, but I do almost every day now.
Family Dogs, they are living, breathing, memory makers and memory holders. I sure miss my Molly. I hope anyone who has a pet, has the blessing of having a good one, Just like my Molly-the best I have ever had.
We said goodnight and goodbye to Molly and to one of the sweetest chapters of our lives one year ago today.
I’m Thankful to God for the years she represented and for all the unconditional love she gave. Our Molly Dog, Our Time Capsule.
-Melissa Pyle
9/15/2022
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