Molly's Story- Recapping and moving forward Part 1

Its been awhile since I had the urge to sit down and blog.....and lately theres been so many things going on with Molly that I figured it was time to start writing again and get everyone who has never read my previous blogs up to Par.
So here we go!

When Molly came into our lives, she was 8 months old. Her previous owners were very vague about her. They didnt even tell me where they lived, so why would they be honest. They just wanted her out of their hair....and I really felt bad that this cute little ball of fur would have been that much of a problem....She was very shy when she first came into our lives. She did love Rufus and Amber and they hit it off right away....but, I could tell that she was distant in a way that I could not explain...she didnt like you to get too close, she did not like to really snuggle with us....she would not make eye contact and to get a kiss from her.....Not even a little one! We like to get slobbery kisses.....so many times I would sit and talk to her, and she would just keep her head low and give me her paw.
As time moved forward....about when she was 1.5 years old, she started to react to loud noises such as fireworks and thunderstorms. She was considered a mild case at first....she didn't do more then just pace the house during a storm, but I also dont think I was very in tuned to her behaviors either. I worked a lot and was usually pet sitting in the evenings so I wasn't home much with her, and I think over time, her symptoms escalated and eventually she got so anxious that she ate the strip off of our foyer....and then she dug the carpet trying to get past a baby gate that was confining her. We started giving her Acepraemazine at first and it did help, at least I convinced myself it was helping. I would only break off a 1/2 piece of it and it would sedate her but not totally. She could still get up and move around. After talking to vets and others who were in similar situations and then researching, I started to realize that Ace was not really helping her and it was only sedating her but she was likely still freaking out inside but was too sedate to do anything.....so, after 2 years I had her put on Clomipramine, which is for anxieties, mostly separation anxiety but has helped mild cases of thunderstorm phobia. I had her on it daily for a few years but she was still reacting to storms in a bad way.
After that I tried some more natural approaches. I got her a Thundercoat and several brands of supplements and Rescue Remedy. I alternated them and wasn't having much success. I bought CD;s of thunderstorms and played them in hopes to sort of Desensitize her. It was weird sitting in the living room with them all resting and hoping to fake them out but oddly, there were a few times that they would cock their heads and look around but that CD did not in any way get her in a frenzy! So, I read up more on thunder phobias to find that its not always the actual sound of the storm,but it could be set off by some combinations of wind, thunder, lightning, barometric pressure changes, static electricity, and low- frequency rumbles preceding a storm that humans are unable to hear. After taking a trip to Branson with a few friends in May 2013. I got a frantic call from my husband who came home from work to find Molly and Rufus locked in the bathroom, It had been a very short thunderstorm that happened in the afternoon that day....a SHORT QUICK storm that probably lasted 10 minutes....and it escalated to this: She proceeded to get out by eating through the door.

This was definitely not what I ever imagined this could lead too.....and we needed a new "PLAN"

TO Be Continued.............. 

Mollys Story Part 12- The good, bad, and...UGLY?

Welcome to a New Year! I am sorry that its been so many months since my last blog. Life can really take you by the hand sometimes and thats what happened! Hopefully I can continue to entertain more regularly now!

So, Im going to sort of fast forward a bit.....We are aware of Mollys "issues" and over the years we kind of went back and forth on trying different ways to deal with her behaviors. It got to be exhausting at times and I had ( and probably still have)  MANY doubts on if we can ever fix her, but then I said, is there a such thing as being fixed? I mean, in reality....we ALL have issues in some way, right? So, maybe we can just modify them? As for the title of the post.....As Molly aged she did mellow out. By the time she was 5, she seemed to be pretty content with life. Yes, we still have to stay on top of her and we cannot slip up, or she will know somehow that we let our guard down. For her, this was progress. We learned that either we just work with her in a positive way. The other 2 dogs seemed to adjust to her well and her and Rufus continued to have their bond, in fact we started to notice Rufus was getting some of her behaviors as well which was BAD. He learned to dig in the trash cause he saw Molly doing it one day and wanted some of the goods. She never once growled at the other dogs if they came near her when she was doing something bad but if I were to come even 10 feet away, I could hear her entire body rumbling. She was fierce and she wanted that stinky trash all to herself....no sharing for the humans. She would begin gulping everything down quickly and at the same time staring me down as though it was a showdown, she showed her UGLY side and I knew she meant business as though saying to me "Come Closer Human and I can show you how much we are like wolves. However, I was getting smarter as well and decided that it was not that important that she was out there spilling nasty trash all over the yard at least that what i wanted her to think............so I ignored her and came inside and waited a minute, then went out there with something from the fridge. I called Rufus and Amber over for some and she lifted her head just a little to see what I had, went back to eating the trash, and noticed we were all enjoying ourselves as well and she decided that what I had was MUCH better so I lured them all back in the house and closed the door! Easy enough.....I am not about to challenge a 100 lb dog with a full set of teeth over a measly bag of stinky trash. It was easy enough to offer the trade. Once she walks away, that incident is then in the past and we all know that dogs live IN the moment. We as humans however, dwell on the past and I was doing exactly that when I had to clean up all the trash and then realize that I should have not had the bag of trash in her direct view anyway....

So, my lesson here was that because of my laziness, I let the dog think she won by stealing the trash, but in the end I WIN cause I was able to successfully ( and without getting bit) get her to walk away from the trash. 

How would you have handled this situation? We dont always think before we do things, its one of our biggest problems. I hear horror stories of bite cases where the owner aggressively goes out and would start yelling at the dog and trying to take back the item..........resulting in a bite, which then the owner blames it all on the dog being vicious but in all honestly....Wouldn't the owner be acting the same exact way so 2 wrongs never make a right, RIGHT?

Mollys Story Part 11....One too many?

Hello Everyone!

Hope you had a great week! I am still trying to collect thoughts before writing the next blog. I have so much to say, but then I forget when I sit down! :)

I thought I would talk a little on having multiple dogs in a house. I always had three dogs, it was just my comfort number. It went so well for so long that I never put much thought in it. Before we got Golden retrievers  I had Rottweilers. They were so brave and bold, but yet great snuggle buddies at the same time. They were protective and showed us the most unconditional love. Once we decided to switch up on the breeds is when I realized that it was no longer the same dynamics as before.

Once we brought Molly into the pack, everything changed. Amber and Rufus were raised here since babies so they learned to rely on us and look up to use as leaders....Molly however, came here with no structure at all. She didnt look up to us at all....not at first but over the years I had said to myself that Three dogs is too many, and I still feel that we will never have more then Two. Its hard to walk them all at the same time. One of us always has 2 dogs and the other has 1. Giving all 3 attention is interesting too. We have 2 hands and 3 dog heads to pet. So, you gotta get creative and sometimes us a foot for the 3rd pooch! ;)

Molly was and still is a very demanding dog. She barks for attention and she pushes the other 2 out of the way if they are getting attention. We call her Molly gator because for years, she was always biting on Rufus and tearing up stuffed animals and snatching treats out of people hands. She can devour something within seconds so the name Molly Gator fits her perfectly.

So, to conclude this blog I just want to say that sometimes you have to learn from experience on what is right and wrong in life. I have learned a lot over the past 6 years and it will make me stronger in future decisions. There is a lot involved in having multiple dogs at once and its not always easy. These 3 keep me on my toes and definite give me a purpose in life! 

Molly's story Part 10- a little bit on bonding

Hello Everyone and happy Friday!

I really hope to get back on track next week with more blogging! Its so hard sometimes to sit down and think about what to blog about! I wish I would have started this years ago.....when memories were fresh in my head! For those who dont know me and some are wondering..Molly is 6 yrs old now, and Yes, she is still with us! we could never give up on her! No matter what! Over the years I have learned sooo much from her. I do believe she came into my life for a reason. :)

When Molly was about 4 yrs old, I noticed how she would cling to me differently then the other 2 dogs, It was a different kind of bond. I feel like she finally looked at me as the pack leader and she put her guard down a lot! She was not as tense as she was in previous years. She used to tense up as soon as i would try to rub her or scratch her belly. She growled at me so many times as I would try to manipulate her feet or even try to brush her butt feathers. She would also never look me in the eye. I know thats a sign of submission or low self confidence. I used to try everything to get her to look at me..I would put treats on my forehead and other silly things and nothing would give. She still to this day really does not do it but every now and then I will look over at her and see her looking back at me and I will smile. :)

One of the best things that happened that year....was that she allowed me to groom her without a muzzle. I managed to get a picture of her, almost smiling as she was sitting there as to say....Ok mom, I give up and you win ( this time) ...at least I sure did HOPE that was what she meant! I fought her for 4 years to just let me groom her without a fight and then just one day...she did, just like that! 

This bond between her and I is hard to describe. I feel like I formed bonds with all of my dogs in different ways but it was always a natural thing with the other dogs....this bond is one I feel I had to earn, and still earning now. I dont know what I did to get her to change her behavior, but hey...I take anything I can get from her! 

here is Molly on the grooming table, no muzzle and it does look like she is smiling, right? ;)

Molly's Story Part 9- Moving Ahead a bit :)

Hello Everyone! I am sorry to be lagging over the past few days! I have been keeping busy with pet sitting and also entertaining the FurKids here at home along with the hubby!


I wanted to take a break and sort of collect more thoughts and move ahead a bit. We all know that Molly came to us with issues and that it seems to be the same issues so instead of talking about the same stuff from year to year and having the story get boring, I decided to move ahead a little. So here goes! 

We continued over the years of dealing with Molly and her thunderstorm phobia. We did have a few years of it not seeming so bad, but I am pretty sure it was because I resorted to using acepramazine more and more with her which I know now, and knew along that it was not actually helping the situation, it was a cop out, and easy way for me to deal with it. I am busy during the summer months with pet sitting and was tired when returning home at night, there were so many long nights of staying up with her when storms would rip through in the middle of the night. I had come to a realization that this was just what life was going to be 3-4 months out of every year and it was ok. I figured that there were 8 other months where I would not have to worry.

We took Molly off the medications after about 2 yrs because it was not helping with the real problem, and we talked better meds back then..but I wasnt ready and didnt feel at that time that she was that bad to need a drug such as Prozac. I would just try to be on top of the tranquilizer and/or herbal supplements if need be. I had started trying Benadryl with her and I thought it seemed to help take the edge off at times but then other times it was like she had nothing. 

A few years ago, the ThunderShirt came out and it was the "New" exciting remedy...Right? I mean, why didnt i think about it, I could have wrapped her in a blanket and coddled her when she was scared. So, I ordered one for her...what could I lose? I remember the day it came! I was like a little kid on Christmas. Now I just had to wait for a storm to come to see it in action!  I put it on her to acclimate her to having it on, she didnt seem to mind it at all, I thought that was a good thing at least! Now......I was ready, but was MOLLY ready? We could only wait.......and see! 

I wish I would have known years ago that I would be writing a story about Molly- I would have taken more pictures! ;) Anyway, here is a pic of Molly relaxed and obviously comfy

Molly's Story Part 8- Here we go again

Good Evening folks!


After the winter left....Spring time was approaching. Molly turned 2 that year and she had been on the meds for some time so we were praying that she would deal better with the storms. I had read so many books and articles on thunderstorm phobias, I was ready..or at least I thought.

I remember coming home from work one day and noticed that the edge of our foyer, the frame was chewed off and eaten. I wasnt sure at first what had happened but I was seriously MAD! I suspected it to be Molly but since I wasnt home I could not say for sure. A week later I was out pet sitting and Elvie called me saying that Molly was freaking out and he didnt know how to control her. He tried going into the bedroom and blocking a gate between the living room and the hallway. Well......she dug the carpet up and chewed a big chunk of it off. I came home practically ready to cry! 

I talked to the vet and she suggested giving her a higher dose in the meds and if they didnt work, that we would have to move onto a stronger drug like Prozac. We dealt with many more storms and may more nights of me staying up all night with her. I used the acepramazine a lot that year. I tried to time it and give it to her at least a hour before. I hated using that drug but it seemed to help her although I knew deep down that it wasnt really helping her get over her fears. I was busy between work and pet sitting and I know that there was a lot of guilt on my end that I wasnt working with her enough and I was taking the easy route out by just mildly sedating her. I know that my husband was frazzled and a few people told me that I should just put her down but it wasnt the right thing to do..in my heart.

I tried to take her on walks before storms would come to see if getting her well exercised would help her with the fear. Sometimes she would freak out and it wasnt even thundering...but at least I could not hear it....it was possibly miles away and dogs can feel the barometric pressure and we cannot.


It seemed nothing really worked log term. I tried rescue remedy and supplements. You name it, I tried it......

On top of the storms, I was still having trouble with grooming her. She hated it and I hated doing it. She just had to have the really thick coat that needed trimming at least 1x a month. It was exhausting for us both. A few times I tried taking her to my friends grooming shop to see if it was just her being in the house that caused her to freak out but it was even worse taking her somewhere else so I didnt try that again.

I noticed one day that she was limping on her back leg...and I worried that maybe her hip was giving her trouble. I  talked to the vet again and we put her on some anti- inflammatory meds. I also gave her a joint supplement. She may not have like the grooming because it was uncomfortable for her to be on the table and to be moved around. I would have to think about an alternative for her.

I was still determined that we would get past all this.... I am an optimist and so I only think of positive thoughts on almost everything but Molly seemed to make me have a hard time thinking that way, too bad dogs cant talk.....


Here are a few pics after a grooming....She was happy once it was all over

Molly's Story Part 7- Mellowing out....a little.

Hello Folks!

Sorry for the lapse in posting! I have been dealing with so much these days! Here goes!


Over the next several months...it was constant training in the house. Life was not just changed for my husband and I  but it was for Rufus and Amber as well. They had to deal with a lot of changes such as they could no longer have their woobies ( stuffed toys) laying around the house. Molly was the toy destroyer. She would go one by one and destroy the poor helpless woobies or eat Ambers tennis balls. Sometimes Molly would somehow "find" them even after I put them away. Molly and Rufus continued to bond, like siblings. It was nice to see that she had a companion. Amber on the other hand, was never really into mingling with other dogs. She was only concerned about tennis balls and having us throw them to her. I tried to get Molly to retrieve but it was not happening. She took to this big red ball that she would roll around the yard and bark at. It was entertaining and I felt she was blowing off some steam at times! :)

After some time, it began to feel like I was getting somewhere with her. I realized that as long as I was finding ways to keep her stimulated, that she would mellow out. Her food aggression was getting much better because I tried to keep any opportunity for her to steal something..although, she always seemed to be one step ahead of me and a few random times she stole food right under my nose...such a a fresh batch of brownies and an entire lb of bacon. She must have an iron stomach as she never even got sick. I always said..this dog will be the death of me and will live forever. 

That winter seemed to go pretty well. I got to spend more time with her since my schedule wasnt so crazy. I taught her all sorts of tricks and commands. She was coming around. I felt like she was learning to Trust us. Dont get me wrong, it was a daily effort to assure that things went smooth but I didnt feel so stressed anymore.

We were hoping that once Spring came again, that her fear of thunder storms would decrease. The vet said Only time would tell.......and so we waited. 

Here are a few pics of Molly and the gang being happy together that winter.