Of Fireworks and Thunderstorms

With today being Independence Day and one of those "Fireworks" holidays, I thought I would relay some information about Molly that many may already know; being that most dogs feel the same. That is that fireworks scare Molly (and most of her canine kind).

So since last weekend, random fireworks have been going off in the neighborhood. It is bad enough that we have to deal with Molly's fright and panic attacks on the very night that the local university and local amateur pyros do their thing but then we have to deal with this about nightly for a week. So now let's compound the issue...thunderstorms. Thunder, like the boom of fireworks, drives Molly crazy. Poor girl shakes a mile a minute, cannot get comfortable and runs about not knowing what to do. Our recently and dearly departed Mikey had the same issue but he was also a radar. If Mikey came up

From Top: Joey (2000-2009) &
Mikey (2001-2014)

to you and was shaking profusely and the sun was out, it meant he could hear fireworks in the distance, felt a storm brewing or knew war was imminent. We should have named him RADAR.

I realize that there is nothing that we can do to stop fireworks and thunderstorms. One is nature's arguments and the other is a spectacle that is undertaking by proud Americans to celebrate the birth of freedom in the USA. But for dog mommies and daddies you have to make sure that you do not get frustrated over the actions of your furbabies. They are scared and unsure of what is happening and the idea of not knowing what the noise represents is a huge catalyst for fear. So please...love them and hug them and make them feel safe. After all
, it really is all they want when the noises happen.

Molly Investigates; A Noir Story

It was a hot and downright muggy morning. It was only 6 AM but I knew this was gonna be a barn burner today. You know the kind.

I was laying there minding my business while my people slept. I was working on a good piece of raw-hide when my one person, Big Daddy, woke up. Big Daddy. That's what Mommy calls him so I guess it's his name. So he gets up and rattles me for the morning walk. Boy I'm dreading this. Never really anthing exciting on these morning walks except a pee some and maybe have a morning constitutional while I am out there. It all depends how I feel, you know what I mean. Maybe today is different; I think its Wednesday so maybe I will get to see those big trucks that come through on Wednesdays. Of course, it occurs to me...how do I know its Wednesday? What is Wednesday anyway?

So we're walking along. Good Lord! It's hotter than catfight in the middle of August out there. But up the street we go. I'm sniffing around not really getting any vibes. Haven't seen a cat yet. So hot the cats are hiding. Bitches! The worms are dead and dried up along the pavement. I better not stay out here too long because I don't wanna turn out like them. Well, I ate one. They sure are tasty. For some reason I don't think Big Daddy shares in my enthusiasm over them. His loss.

Something's happening around here. I can hear it. It's a familiar sound that I have not heard in some time. Let me think on it some more. Mine as well punch out a number two and make the 'rents happy while I think. You know what I mean...

That's done and the sound is getting louder. Wait a minute; I know that noise. It's that raspy lady person who always yells at her dogs while they amusingly drag her down the street. Here she comes with her dog. Hey Big Daddy, let me go. C'mon, loosen the strap, man! Geez, my person is strong. He is not budging at all. The raspy person and the dog are passing by on the other side of the street. Dammit! I missed again. It's like Groundhog Day or something. Groundhog.....groundhog.....food...... Wait! Gotta clear my head.

With them gone I must investigate. Gotta drag Big Daddy along so I can sniff around and pick up the scent of everywhere that big boy was at. If I have to sniff and lick every blade of grass in this nieghborhood, I will. I must get to the bottom of this mystery. Finally, something to take the opprssive heat out of my mind. I must find the scent of that dog. Alas! This is his pee on this pole. Well, we cannot have this type of behavior so I will just apply my own scent here. There. I realize this isn't everyone's cup of pee but it's how we roll in the pet world.

Now there is a site for sore eyes. A cat on a hot car roof. How did it get there and why can't I get it? This is crazy. Big Daddy keeping me at bay and what do you mean I can't has the kitty? I don't get it. Is this not why I am here? To rid this complex of vermin such as cats. Well have it your way. I'm just trying to help. Now we are back at the house. I think I just heard Mommy at the back door.

Wait! What was that noise? Cats are fighting. I have got to check this out. The problem is that Big Daddy keeps holding me back. I have to figure out what is wrong with this guy. Geez so much for entertainment. Well, at least we are home. It's much cooler in there and I have to get a drink of water.

Now that I got a snack; which by the way is the best part of these journeys. I had plenty to drink now I will just lay up here with Mommy for awhile. But don't you worry because it won't be too long now that I will be back on the hunt and watching up and down the street. You can count on seeing me conduct my investigations 4 or more times a day. So I'll be watching. I'll be watc....zzz zzz zzz zzz

Our Muddy Buddy

Today being the second day of Spring and the weather being so nice, we decided to take Molly to the Bark Park and let her run around and play. What we did not count on is that Molly thought we were going to a MudRun for poochies.

Everything started out as usual with Molly making new friends and going after the dogs who attempt to "check her out". You might recall from earlier readings that Molly apparently has a rule; I can check you out but you cannot check me out. So she met some friends and ran around which is always nice to watch her have the opportunity to run free without a leash.

In the center of the Bark Park is this real nice canopy system so it provides some shade on a hot day. Well, because the Winter was so wet, there is a puddle of water under the canopy between the poles. Well, Molly kept running through it (as were other dogs) and getting her paws all dirty. Well, soon enough, she decides to run into the water, stop, and plop down dead center in the muddy water. She did this only for a second, which we think may have been a tactic to keep other dogs from checking her out. Think about it, if she is covered in mud, no one will smell her. Pretty ingenious if you ask me. While we were there we met a nice woman who had a great looking pooch. It was a Chihuahua and Yorkie breed. She was very skiddish and yappie but that was the Chihuahua in her; we know from experience.

Final story for this edition of the Chronicles. Obviously Mommy wasn't too happy with the mud situation and having leather seats in her car, Molly was made to sit by herself in the back seat. Well, from the parting shot below you can see I took this and many pictures like it on the way home. After each picture I kept thinking to myself why is she looking down. Well we soon found out. She was scaling the situation in the from seat because out of nowhere while we were driving she jumped over the seat into the front perfectly. I mean I could not believe she did not crash into the dash board. She really is a smart cookie. Until next time...
 

Molly the Malicious

Those of you who are intimately connected to Molly may be aware of the Great Hot Dog Caper of 2012, however, it would seem that Molly once more makes sure the year will not end without another malicious act.

Earlier this week, Tarah was eagerly awaiting to be picked up by our neighbors as she wanted to go spend some time with our friends and giver them some of the pizzelles that she made with Grammy. So while waiting, pizzelles were being enjoyed by all. It was at this time that our friend's daughter came over to get Tarah.

Molly goes into a frenzy when we have company and after doing her share of barking at the guest and running around the living room and dining room like a crazed maniac, what happened next was unbelievable. In one stitch in time, Tarah had a full pizzelle in her hand and in the very next movement, Molly had that full pizzelle in her mouth. You see Molly uses strategy to gain that which she craves and in this case the disruption and activity of a visitor became the catalyst that she needed.

I am happy to report however that after a small chase and cornering by Mommy and Daddy, Molly relinquished the stolen goods intact and without further incident and we have once again protected her precious and sensitive belly from the harms of human foods.

Thus as the close of the year approaches, this story will go down in Molly lore as The Great Pizzelle Plunder of 2013.

Molly Prepares for Halloween

With Halloween fast approaching, it was time to do that thing that all parents have to do with their children; and with Molly it is no different. It is time to pick out this year's Halloween costume. Now this is a very tedious process especially after the Great Santa Suit Disaster of 2011. However, we were fortunate that Molly has begun to accept her outfits as she did with her dress. So this should not be too bad, right?

The choice was clear. Molly would be a witch this year, which on many levels is a wise choice..haha.

So the outfit fits better and Molly is much more tolerant with the way the costume goes onto the body. What she does not like, and quite honestly I have yet to meet a dog who does, is the hat that goes with the costume.



So this year at Halloween, there will be one more witch in the household here. A beautiful, furry, loving witch...named Molly.

Molly Visits the Bark Park

Every once in a while (a GREAT while) I have a great idea. Today I decided that we should take Molly to the new Bark Park that recently opened at the community park. She really enjoyed the entire experience which started out as a walk along the walking trail en route to the doggie play area.

We have never had her in an interactive situation with other dogs other than meeting neighbor dogs around the complex so this was a very unique experience not only for Molly, but for mommy and daddy as well. There were about 10 or so other dogs there and the park is split into two fenced areas; one for small dogs and one for large dogs.

I had a great moment today because I met another Miniature Schnauzer breed. He is a rescue whose mommy saved him from an abusive situation. She thinks he is mixed with Jack Russell but I did not see Jack in him. As you can see from the picture, he has the same coloring of Molly. Bonus, I think he wanted to come home with us when we left. But that will be our secret.

What a great thing for the county to do by putting in the dog park so that dogs can go somewhere to run free. This really helps folks like us because we cannot have enclosed areas at our home where we can do this with the fur-babies. And now to bring this blog to a close, here is a small video clip of Molly wandering around leash-free with the other dogs. See ya next time!

Molly Has A Boyfriend

There is that time in every Daddy's life when he knows his girls will meet someone. Well, this is true of our Dog-ter as well.

Enter Poncho; a mix breed of Dachshund and Jack Russell Terrier. He is OK, I guess. He seems nice, very interested in Molly. Problem is he has no job and no hopes and dreams. All he does is run around and stare at the sky and my Molly. I mean seriously, dude...get a job or something.

Now, Molly is very smitten over Poncho. Every time Poncho is outside with his parents, the two must get together and play. It is to the point now that if we walk by their house and Poncho is not outside, Molly whimpers and cries the whole way passing the yard. That is one thing about Molly, smart as a whip, never forgets anything.

One of the benefits that Poncho has over her is that he is hardly ever on a leash. Crazy as this sounds, he must smell her coming because if he is not leashed he comes running down the street to meet her. Then they go at it having a blast. It's funny because you know how dogs have to smell each other, right? Well, Molly has to constantly check out Poncho but so help her god if Poncho tries to check her out. Molly is not too much into the checking me out thing. The good news, when we get to have a play date with Poncho, Molly is definitely tired out and therefore we always hope for an evening play date on her last walk of the night and that usually puts her out.

So, I suppose as long as he does not hurt her, I will be OK with Poncho. Basically the same rules apply that apply to my daughters...treat them right or bleed...badly.... This must be what they call...Puppy Love!