The Molly Situation: An Update from Noodle’s Mom

Wow! I am overwhelmed by the support and advice that everyone has given. I don’t know why I am…I should be used to your unwavering friendship by now.

After Noodle blogged earlier, Greg and I decided that we were going to try to find Molly a new home now rather than wait until another incident occurred as re-homing never happens fast.

 

As I shared with my friends on Facebook:

After a horrible experience last night between Molly and Noodle, Greg and I have decided it would be best for Molly if we could find a home for her where she’d be the only dog.

Please don’t think this decision was made in haste. My heart is breaking. If you know me, you know my dogs are more important to me than my own life.

We’ve been monitoring her behavior for 3 months now and it seems to be deteriorating. At times it’s completely unprovoked. Other times it’s normal stuff like resource guarding. We can’t risk either of their lives. Her life IS at risk. If Greg wasn’t in the room last night, Molly would’ve killed Noodle and she would’ve ended up euthanized.

She is an attention hog who does everything to please her humans. Unfortunately, she sees the other dogs as threats because they take attention away from her. She also has a serious prey drive which is why she can’t live with cats. We believe she was used as a hunting dog. She listens to commands and submits almost immediately. Possibly as a result of past abuse.

So, if you have a home without dogs or cats, and you’d be willing to open it up to a truly incredible dog, please message me or Greg.

Please do not misunderstand me. If I had the funds to hire a pet behaviorist I would in a heartbeat. But remember how I had to raise money just to get her initial medical care? It’s a struggle every month to make sure all the dogs get their preventatives. There are no extra funds to put towards a trainer or other specialist at this time. Not to mention I leave for work at 7 am, get home at  7 pm, and am in bed by 10 pm. How much time do I have to devote to strict, detailed training, while still caring for the other dogs, cat, birds, chickens, duck, rabbits, etc.?

When we first brought Molly home as a foster, I truly didn’t believe she would be with us long-term. Not because of the foster situation but because I thought she was old and sick. I thought we were going to help a senior live out the end of her days. Yes, I adopted her once I knew more but that’s because she was already part of the family and I didn’t realize we were going to have such serious problems just weeks ahead.

Anyway, after posting to Facebook, I realized that Molly’s behavior is similar to how Khia got during the last months of her life: We took her to the vet in February because she was starting to act grumpy (growling, snarling at Noodle). She was misdiagnosed as having arthritis instead of the cancer which was too far gone by the time the proper diagnosis came.

Because of that experience (which I never want to live through again), Greg and I took Molly to the vet today for blood work. She had a CBC which we will have the results of Monday, and an add-on thyroid test (more than just the typical thyroid test…I can’t recall what it is) which we will have the results of by Wednesday. As soon as I told them what was going on they said she’s at the perfect age for and exhibiting signs of possible hypothyroidism (i.e., sudden aggression that increases rapidly).

I do not want to give up on Molly. Aside from breaking my heart, I’m sure it would devastate her AND Macy who thinks the world of her. That being said, if it’s not something medically fixable, I can’t afford to give her the proper care she needs to “get better” and it would be irresponsible of me to keep her as far as everyone’s safety goes.

I dug myself in a hole and I’m trying to get out. The losses of Mya and then Khia wreaked havoc on my life. I’ve been trying to make things work/improve since then but sometimes I make crappy decisions. Keeping Molly if I can’t care for her will NOT be one of those crappy decisions I make. I will make things right somehow.