Molly's Story

Molly came to us when it suddenly became necessary to take her and her puppies away from where they had been living wild as part of a pack until they could be re-homed.  She was an older dog, who was nursing not only her litter but that of one of the other females too.  The puppies were distributed between several fosterers.  As well as mum, I took two of the litter who it was felt would do best by remaining with her: the weakest, and one with a limp which needed watching.

Molly was a very nervous dog around people although she quickly settled in with our own dogs.  For days she would not willingly come near us but gradually she responded to kind words and the steady supply of food.  What a wonderful moment it was when she learnt that it was nice to be hugged and petted and actively sought out such contact.

Her two puppies we named Bandy and Tyke.  Bandy, a girl, was the smallest one of the litter but was growing encouragingly fast.  Tyke was a typical boy with a jaunty little swagger and confident manner.  His limp proved to be nothing to worry about and soon disappeared.  These two were to be re homed in Germany as soon as they were strong enough to travel and homes had been found for them.  Molly we hoped would be taken in by someone with a lot of experience of dogs and her increasingly warm and friendly behaviour encouraged this hope.  Sadly, things turned out otherwise.

Molly and her two puppies

The dogs had been with us a couple of weeks when one afternoon one of the children came in via the side gate with a friend.  My two dogs ran up barking to greet them, Molly went with them but misunderstanding their intentions actually bit my son.   She backed off as soon as I yelled and clearly had no intention of savaging him but it demonstrated to me that pack instincts ingrained from a life with other street dogs were still there.  I contacted the people whom I had Molly from and it was decided to move her back to where she came from.  Unfortunately this was not soon enough to prevent her biting again.  Once more, it was undoubtedly a case of her misinterpreting the actions of dog’s who have been brought up in a family.  The injury was thankfully slight, but clearly Molly had spent too long in a different kind of life to easily adjust to living with people.  It was now imperative that Molly left us before another such incident.  Her puppies were no longer feeding from her and I had noticed with some concern that as she weaned them she was becoming increasingly dominant with my dogs who were allowing this development although she remained passive and affectionate with me.

There was nothing for it but to take her back to where she had come from. As I had got to know her well I was certain that she was not a dangerous dog.  Had she been then other options would have had to have been considered. It was just that like many older dogs on the streets she just would never learn any other rules than those she lived by in her pack.

Molly

One of the women involved in animal welfare came to take her back.  We had terrible trouble getting her in the car.  She knew something was going on and was so scared.  In the end we picked her up and bundled her in.  She made no attempt to bite either of us but was clearly very frightened and in need of reassurance.  I was very fond of Molly, despite the fact that she had bitten my children, so I sat with her on the journey.  Her head was on my knee so trustingly, I felt terrible.

Then something amazing happened.  As we turned into her territory she lifted her head, ears pricked and alert.  We stopped the car, opened the door and she jumped out.  There was a dog close by and the two ran to meet each other, tails wagging madly.  Then more dogs appeared, all rushing excitedly to greet her.  I can’t tell you how happy she was to be back in her own environment with her own “family.”  I went over and said goodbye.  I was crying but I was also happy and so glad that I had gone too.  It was the right thing to do for her and I could see that now, yet up until the moment we arrived I had felt that we were letting her down simply because she had made a mistake.  This was the happiest I had seen her since I had known her and I felt satisfied and comforted when we left her there.
 

Molly's puppy Tyke

Molly’s tale is rather bittersweet but it showed me quite clearly that there are many ways of helping animals.  Not every animal can be re-homed.  For Molly, we provided safety when (for reasons I can’t disclose) safety was necessary.  We found homes for the puppies that survived and we took her back to where she belonged.  Some Greek men who work nearby regularly feed these dogs, as do other people.  A few days after we had left her she was collected by the little organisation that had brought her to me and taken to be neutered.  Molly now lives a life she knows, in a place where she is happy, without having to go through anymore pregnancies and the dangers and problems that entails.  She and her friends are regularly checked up on by caring locals.  Other members of the pack, male and female have also been neutered although sadly one died.  That however is the reality.  You do what you can, where you can and hope it is for the best.  Although it still makes me cry a little, I think Molly’s story is a positive one.