I’ve been toying with the idea of adopting a dog for some time. My insecurity about having never owned a dog before and never being able to raise a healthy plant, for that matter, had always made me chicken out. But once I finally decided to just bite the bullet, I started researching doggy rescues, namely browsing the adoptable dog selection on Petfinder.com which shows the dogs of rescues everywhere.
I knew I didn’t want a puppy but rather an adult that was active since I like running. Thanks to Petfinder, I was able to specify a search for what I wanted, which is basically a small-to-medium-size dog, an adult and within 100 miles of my location.
Molly going for a car ride.
After a couple of months and several almost adoptions, I finally found the dog I wanted: Molly. Described on Petfinder.com as a 3-year-old Jindo/Shepherd mix, a perfect running companion, and it even said so on her profile.
Molly was actually rescued by G.R.A.C.E. Animal Rescue in El Segundo. They had found her in a shelter. She was dirty, undersocialized and only had one day to live. By the time I got her, she was all clean but still painfully shy. But the rescue told me that if I just take her for one run that she will bond with me. So the plan was for me to foster her for a week as a trial period to determine if I want to adopt her.
I knew things were going to be difficult when on that first night Molly made a break for it. She leapt over my 6-foot fence in the backyard and was on the street. Fortunately, I don’t know how, but I was able to get her to come to me. The key was to not run after her or call after her in a soft way, but rather be firm and say, “Molly! Come here!”
To make a long story short, in the course of five days, even though Molly bonded with me, and I with her, she still managed to escape 11 times. When I kept her in, she became destructive and when I kept her out she’d jump over the fence.
G.R.A.C.E. tried everything to help make my house Molly’s “forever home.” After all, it would have been a nice place for her as it has a big yard and a doggy door so she could come in the house or hang around outside if she wanted to. So the rescue hired a handyman to reinforce my fence. He covered the beams of my gate so she couldn’t use them as a ladder, he increased the height of the fence and he even let me borrow a shock collar to prevent her from getting anywhere near her favorite escape route.
Molly tied to the tree.
But none of the fixes worked; she always found a way out. I even resorted to tying her to a tree in the backyard so that I could see a movie for a couple of hours. I had made sure this was OK with the rescue first, of course.* When I returned, Molly was in my house (which I had locked up) sporting her chewed-up harness. WTF?
Right now, Molly is tied to my tree again. This time the steel cable is hooked up to her dog collar, which I feel really bad about. Since I don’t want a dog that I have to tie to a tree, I told the rescue that I couldn’t keep her. We already did everything we could and nothing seemed to work so they’re going to pick her up today.
However, after this episode they came to the realization that unless Molly gets some training and these escape issues worked out, she will never be adoptable. It’s pretty sad considering she is the sweetest, most obedient and loving dog. She just needs to stop it with the abandonment issues.
Anyway, so G.R.A.C.E. is trying to raise money, $1,500 to be exact, to get her the training and boarding she needs with the hope that I can give her another chance or, if not me, that she will at least be more adoptable to someone else.
If you’d like to help Molly be my dog please donate by clicking the PayPal donate button in the sidebar of the main page of my blog. I’ll make sure any money I receive will go to the Molly cause. Thanks! Hopefully this story will have a happy ending.
PS: Other great rescues in SoCal are Linda Blair’s World Heart Foundation, Karma Rescue and AdoptaPet.com, just to name but a few.
* Apparently it’s against California law to tie dogs to trees for over three hours but what I don’t understand is why, then, do they sell these cables at pet stores?
UPDATE: Molly has just started her training which will go on for three weeks. One of the rescuers actually paid for it out of her own pocket but I’d still like to pay her back for her kindness so any amount you can donate will help a bunch. Thanks!
Caroline, you are awesome. I hope Molly gets her happily ever after…she deserves it! And just maybe, she will get that with you :) THANK YOU for choosing adoption and trying so hard for this sweet girl!
I really hope Molly finds a home! All of my dogs growing up were adopted and it was such a good feeling to know that these sweet dogs had a home! I hope Molly finds one too.
Katya,
Thanks so much to you and Vanessa and the peeps at GRACE for all your help. I definitely couldn’t have made it through the week without you.
Nastassia,
There are SO many dogs that need a home. It’s so sad. They were given up for so many different reasons: the economy, new baby, marriage, moving. I went to the Westchester adoption event and I couldn’t believe how many poor animals there were. It was overwhelming.
It’s great of you to try so hard. She looks so sweet. And so unhappy to be tied to a tree. I was able to donate a little, I hope it works out for you two. If not, I hope you keep looking until you find the right match.
Thanks so much! I hope it works out for everyone. I’m sure it will.
Have I told you how many times I watched that video of her? She seems so sweet! I’m sorry it’s not working out right now, but it’s definitely the responsible thing to do. Fingers crossed that she can find a good home. Did they change description on that webpage since you fostered her? I wonder if she’d feel more secure in a home with other dogs.
She IS really sweet! The sweetest, most loving dog. As for being in a home with other dogs, I think they actually had that on her profile. But the thing is whenever I take her for walks and she runs into other dogs she goes insane. But tonight I took her to this house with two dogs and even though she was all riled up at first, after a quick walk and butt-smelling they were friends. It was then that I saw the potential in her. She’s definitely come a long way from when she first arrived at my house. But how to stop that running-away part?
Um, why don’t you let her stay in your nice warm comfortable house and not tie her outside?? Let her stay with you (which she seems to want to do) and not keep her outside all alone. Take her out on her harness to use the bathroom, and then let her come back in. Perhaps your gut feeling was right, you are not ready for a dog. Have some dedication, patience, and common sense.
Um, I guess I wasn’t clear. Molly would be fine when I was home and I did leave her in the house and she could come and go as she pleased into the yard via the doggy door. It was just when I left the house to go to work or wherever that she would jump the fence to be with me. I would have just left the house and not five minutes later as I was walking to my car she would be over the fence. I wish I could take her to work but unfortunately it’s a dog-free zone.
Reading comprehension. Look into it, anon.
Aww I hope Molly has a happy-ending too.
If the issue is her escaping when you are not home, did you try crating her when you were gone?
Valerie, I guess I’m just opposed to crating her because she loves the outdoors so much. Plus, I work 8 hours a day and definitely wouldn’t want to keep her cooped up for that long. If she just didn’t jump the fence it would be the perfect setup. She could go outside when she wanted and hang out indoors when she wanted.
Kudos Caroline for all the effort you put into trying to get your pet parenting attempt to work. I’m sure with a better fit you can have an amazing relationship with a four legged bestie!!
I’m glad you are adopting and promoting adopting on your blog since its so popular.
I’ve had my pup for almost 14 years and cherish every minute I have with her (even when she wakes me up in the middle of the night).
Wow, that was really generous! Here’s to having Molly back home with you really soon. :)
Just wondering if there has been an update. Is Molly home with you yet?
No, not yet. She’s getting trained right now but they’re crate training her. They said that once she learns how to jump a fence she’ll keep doing it. In any case, when she’s done with training I’m going to give her another try. So we’ll see how it goes.