Molly 05-441

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1/15/06: Jake and Molly have arrived! These two are believed to be brother and sister. They were adopted from another humane shelter so it is unknown their true birthdays but their owner believed they were born in July of 2003 so that makes them just over 2 and a half years old. They go to the vet tomorrow for their wellness check but they are already current on their shots and have been spayed and neutered so I am hoping that all goes well. They were turned into RAGOM because they just do not get along with the resident cats. Their owner tried everything to get them to get along but it just wasn?t working so she decided that it was in the best interest of both Jake and Molly to find them a new home without cats. These guys are housebroken and seem to get along with everyone and everything with the exception of cats!

Jake is the more outgoing of the pair. Neither take too well to change but Jake seems to adapt quicker than Molly. Jake is a big snuggler who loves to be petted. He would enjoy nothing better than to let you pet him, while he and you are watching TV or reading, especially on his feathering on his front legs and his chest and belly. He loves to go outside and run around and chase his sister and play fetch. He rough houses with his sister in the back yard. Jake loves to carry things in his mouth and his previous owner said his favorite thing is a Kong with peanut butter in it!

Molly is more timid and is somewhat shy with new things in her life. She reminds me a bit of a puppy mill girl. She startles quite easily. New things can really upset her. Molly reminds me of Yogi and his fear of coming and going out the patio doors - it took me 30 minutes to coax her in and then she would only come in when I wasn?t watching her. Molly gets car sick after about 20 minutes in the car. She too loves to be petted and I have been told that they are the typical Goldens, always trying to out do the other for the most pets! Molly prefers treats or toys. The treat or toy needs to be left on the floor and then she will come get them. Molly has snipped at other dogs but I am wondering if that might be because she is so scared and the other dog just didn?t understand to ?leave her alone? and let her decide when to meet the other dog.

Jake and Molly?s previous owner would like them adopted together but we will see how things go. Molly will need to be adopted to a family that has another dog so that she can gain more trust with her world and the people in it. From meeting Jake for a bit, I think he would do well with a family that has kids older than 10. I think he would love to play with them in a back yard. Molly I am not too sure would do well with kids, as she is quite shy.

More as I get to know these two better.

MollyMolly

At a Glance #05-441

Breed not specified Born: September 2004
Female Weight not specified

Status: Adopted

Profile

1/15/06: Jake and Molly have arrived! These two are believed to be brother and sister. They were adopted from another humane shelter so it is unknown their true birthdays but their owner believed they were born in July of 2003 so that makes them just over 2 and a half years old. They go to the vet tomorrow for their wellness check but they are already current on their shots and have been spayed and neutered so I am hoping that all goes well. They were turned into RAGOM because they just do not get along with the resident cats. Their owner tried everything to get them to get along but it just wasn?t working so she decided that it was in the best interest of both Jake and Molly to find them a new home without cats. These guys are housebroken and seem to get along with everyone and everything with the exception of cats!

Jake is the more outgoing of the pair. Neither take too well to change but Jake seems to adapt quicker than Molly. Jake is a big snuggler who loves to be petted. He would enjoy nothing better than to let you pet him, while he and you are watching TV or reading, especially on his feathering on his front legs and his chest and belly. He loves to go outside and run around and chase his sister and play fetch. He rough houses with his sister in the back yard. Jake loves to carry things in his mouth and his previous owner said his favorite thing is a Kong with peanut butter in it!

Molly is more timid and is somewhat shy with new things in her life. She reminds me a bit of a puppy mill girl. She startles quite easily. New things can really upset her. Molly reminds me of Yogi and his fear of coming and going out the patio doors - it took me 30 minutes to coax her in and then she would only come in when I wasn?t watching her. Molly gets car sick after about 20 minutes in the car. She too loves to be petted and I have been told that they are the typical Goldens, always trying to out do the other for the most pets! Molly prefers treats or toys. The treat or toy needs to be left on the floor and then she will come get them. Molly has snipped at other dogs but I am wondering if that might be because she is so scared and the other dog just didn?t understand to ?leave her alone? and let her decide when to meet the other dog.

Jake and Molly?s previous owner would like them adopted together but we will see how things go. Molly will need to be adopted to a family that has another dog so that she can gain more trust with her world and the people in it. From meeting Jake for a bit, I think he would do well with a family that has kids older than 10. I think he would love to play with them in a back yard. Molly I am not too sure would do well with kids, as she is quite shy.

More as I get to know these two better.

MollyMolly

Updates

Monday, January 23, 2006

I met Miss Molly with her previous foster mom at the RAGOM PetCo event in Apple Valley yesterday and immediately fell in love with her. We thought it might be best to try separating her from her brother, Jake, in order to help her overcome her shyness and to more readily find her a forever home. She is a graceful, slender girl with a reddish coat and beautiful eyes. Molly definitely lives up to her reputation of being timid and easily startled, but she has already loosened up a bit after being here only one day.

When I brought her home yesterday afternoon, she was very reluctant to come in the house. The strategy I first tried was to prop the door open and lay a trail of treats for her to follow into the house. Then I let my Daisy (resident dog) join her, hoping that Daisy coming in and out of the door would be encouraging to her, since she seemed to really like her. But, after about 25 minutes and the loss of most of the heat in the house, I decided that I had to take a more proactive approach. I had to corner her so I could pick her up. Normally I would never recommend this approach to anyone with a new dog. Many dogs could panic when backed into a corner and lash out in fear and self-defense, but I knew that Molly had already bonded with me a bit at PetCo and in the car so I took a chance and walked slowly and reassuringly up to her until I could wrap my arms around her, carry her into the living room, and sit down with her on the couch. It worked just fine...

...and there we sat, with her on my lap for the rest of the afternoon. She is so sweet and cuddly! She has a lot of trouble trusting new environments, so I just stayed curled up with her to let her get comfortable. Little did I know that she would take that spot on the couch as her safe place, never getting down the rest of the evening. When it was time to go outside before bed, I almost couldn't get her down off the couch, but I took a piece of advice from her previous foster mom and hooked her leash up to her collar and voila, she came with me to the back door and walked right outside. I kept her on the leash to potty, even though my back yard is completely fenced in, because she just seems more confident when she has her leash on.

At bedtime I led her upstairs with her leash and at my suggestion, she jumped right up on the bed. She definitely likes soft, cushy places - preferably with a human by her side. She slept right next to me all night with no problems. This morning I just put her leash back on and she jumped off the bed and went right outside like a champ. I was so proud of her! But when we came back inside for breakfast, she disappeared. Wouldn't you know, I found her back upstairs on the bed. So now she has two safe places. (-: (The picture below is of Molly in her safe place #1 - the couch.)

Throughout the day today she has gradually become more trusting and is now going outside with Daisy without me having to take her out on the leash and this afternoon she was even engaging in a little bit of gentle play with Daisy in the yard. I have a feeling that by the end of the week, she'll be feeling right at home.

Miss Molly will definitely need a forever home with very patient parents who have a lot of time to earn her trust and reassure her when she gets nervous. She might do OK as an only dog because she definitely likes being the recipient of all the affection and attention, but it would probably be better if she had another dog to help teach her to trust and play. I know that for sure, she would not be able to handle the sudden movements and noises of young children, but middle and high school kids would be great for giving her a lot of attention and love.

I'll write more after she gets more settled in and I get to know her better. If you are interested in adopting Molly, please email placementatragom [dot] org.