Molly 36

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Update 05/13/12:

Molly has changed foster homes and her new foster mom has been working on this little girl’s socialization skills. In just a short time, Molly is making progress. Since she’s still just a baby, it is hard for her to understand why it is not okay to bark when she meets and greets, but she is beginning to get the idea and is willing to obey the command to stop. Improving manners were on display when Molly attended the Richmond Springerfest picnic. She had a blast that day and greeted many new people and dogs with her happy grin and wagging tail!

A sweet little girl, Molly continues to have excellent house manners. Her foster home has indoor kitties which is a new experience for her. Molly feels she must guard them day and night. After all, you never know what those funny looking things might do when left alone! Fortunately the kitties could care less about the nosy dog and retreat to their gated room.

If you are looking for a sweet, loving little girl who will make your life interesting and fill it with joy, Molly might just be the one for you.

Update 04/02/12:

Once more, Miss Molly was returned to MAESSR’s care when, after a week, she was not blending into her adoptive home. There were adjustment problems between Molly and the resident Westie and the family’s Springer. 

Back in her foster home, Molly is very happy and doing great with her foster mom and her big brother, the family’s resident Springer. Molly had a great time at the family’s St. Patrick’s Day Party, especially with the pair of 6-year-old twin boys who loved to play with her!

Molly’s early life gave her little chance to be properly socialized. It’s felt this contributes to Molly’s behavior in new situations and with some new people and dogs. Her foster mom is going to start working with a Springer expert to bring Molly up to speed with her social skills so that she can find her perfect permanent home. Check back to follow Molly’s full potential unfold……………

Update 02/18/12:

Miss Molly has returned to foster care. She remains a little shy with people at first and has taken a while to warm up to her foster mom but Molly’s sweet temperament is solid and she’s coming along nicely. Her housetraining remains reliable through the move. She does not counter-surf nor does she beg for food at the table but Molly will sit and stare during food prep and while her foster mom is eating…….must be some good fixings there! She will not come onto furniture unless invited and doesn’t stay long; she prefers being on the floor. When her family is away and at night, Molly settles in a crate. Video taping reveals she doesn’t bark or howl on her own when left but she will occasionally join in with another foster when he is doing his barking routine……..:)). 

Generally, Molly is very well behaved. She barks when people come into the house but calms very quickly and then approaches the visitors. She does not bark when meeting people on walks but she does bark when meeting other dogs, at times quite ferociously. Initially she pulls on a leash when out, especially if there’s a squirrel in sight, but eventually she calms down and walks nicely. When it comes to grooming, she tolerates a bath very well. She was initially stand-offish about getting brushed but she has gradually gotten used to it. 

Like most springers her age Molly has tons of energy. She loves to play fetch in the house. She’s occasionally successful in getting her canine buddy to join her and they will race around the house for a while……….all very entertaining!! 

Molly is affectionate and loves to be petted and praised. She’s ready to belong to a family too. Perfect people for her would further her training and socialization. Doing an obedience class with her could be part of a great start and fun. It would be wonderful if her adopting home had space where she could run off her boundless energy. A fenced yard, enabling her to be off leash daily, and a four-footed companion to chase with would make life complete. Molly is barely into adulthood. She remains formative and has a bright future. If you are ready to be part of that, please ask about meeting her today!

Update 09/06/11:

The news on Miss Molly continues to arrive and it’s all great. She’s progressing so well, just as any foster family could hope for when working with a young malleable adult. Here are her highlights……….

The medication she takes daily for anxiety has not tempered her approach to life. Molly still charges the door every time it is opened for her but does not assume she is allowed to go out. She seeks to chase the squirrels. Rabbits are a bonus. She runs as fast as her feet will carry her to the place where the rabbits go to hide. She has begun to notice birds now and moves slowly toward the covey of doves that live in the hedges at her foster home. 

Molly is truly phlegmatic. In addition to the sounds of sirens and exploding fireworks which do not faze her, now add earthquake and hurricane to what is not a bother. The earthquake led Molly to come out of her crate where she had been sleeping, but she was fine with a word of reassurance. During the hurricane she went into the yard to do her business and came back promptly. Her big brother only went out when the passage of time led him to have no choice. Molly had apparently never been dried off after being soaked outside but, her big brother likes it, so she had it too and she liked it a lot!

She’s beginning to play………great job, Molly! She now understands that her brother is chasing the Frisbee, not just off on an alfresco romp; she has started chasing the Frisbee herself. Since she’s faster than the resident dog, she can jump high into the air to snag the Frisbee before he gets there! 

Molly continues to react to strangers by barking at them but has learned to tone it down when near her foster dad and told to “Hush.” She goes through the meeting-ritual woofery with neighboring dogs too until told to “hush.” Fortunately, owners of the bed and breakfast businesses beside her foster home have met her, heard her story and MAESSR’s role in saving her. They are willing to give Molly the opportunity to work on the barking problem and are impressed with the work MAESSR has done with her in such a short time.

Miss Molly continues to progress toward the joyful life a Springer should have and is going to make a wonderful companion for one very lucky Springer-loving family!

Update 08/25/11:

With her winsome, sweet expression as she looks at her human, Molly is difficult to resist. Her black fur glistens in the sunlight and she smiles as she approaches. Her long, undocked tail, in the English fashion, wraps around her body when she’s at rest. And when she’s not, Molly runs with that familiar ESS vertical springing motion and displays an ESS voice that is surprising, considering her petite frame.

Molly’s health is excellent. She has recovered nicely from her spay surgery and her incision is nearly healed. She now bounds out the door, chasing the cheeky squirrels who lounge beneath the bird feeders. A medication for anxiety is given daily and Molly gently takes the pills without complaint.

Fully housebroken, Molly does not counter surf or pick up items (including tomatoes left on the ground for birds!) unless they are offered to her. The trash and compost bins are ignored and no inappropriate chewing has occurred. The furniture is not her territory. She will come when called, even immediately following a squirrel pursuit. Molly has eaten gently from her foster dad’s hand, and he reports that she has the very “soft” mouth of a retriever. Displaying good “table” manners, Molly eats meals slowly and neatly. Good girl, Molly!

Outside, Molly attempts minimal pulling when on leash. In the yard, she is an avid hunter who chases squirrels and rabbits. An intelligent girl, she will chase a plump woodchuck at his own pace until he retreats to “where he belongs,” realizing that catching him would be unwise. 

Molly lives in a foster home with just one other dog and she is relishing her time with a canine sibling. She has twice voluntarily laid down next to the resident big boy, snuggling up with him in an endearing way. Only a meal enticed the pair to move. They bound outside together with Molly barking joyfully. He does not understand her language yet, but they are doing well together.

Fully adapted to a crate, which is placed next to the resident boy’s, Molly will use it when her foster dad leaves on errands. She sleeps submissively, on her back with her paws in the air, and she remains there all night with the door open, only exiting when her brother decides it’ time to go out.

So far, the only command that Molly responds to reliably is “come,” both the spoken word and two hand claps. The “sit” command is being worked on with the enticement of treats and the example of her big brother and should be mastered quickly. Additional commands, both verbal and hand gestures, will be introduced to her. Since she wants to please and is quite smart, Molly should be a quick learner.

Molly is not startled easily and is unfazed by the sounds of sirens and fireworks. During a recent thunderstorm, she raised her head to check what was going on, but soon put it back down again.

This little Velcro girl stays by her foster dad’s side most of the time whether inside or out and, when he’s sitting, he can be sure that Molly will be by his side. She wags her tail at the slightest show of affection and responds well to a voice telling her that she is a beautiful, smart girl. Molly especially likes high pitched tones of praise. When she jumps up to receive affection, she stops when this behavior was discouraged.

As far as Molly has come in her short stay in foster care, she continues to receive guidance in a few areas:

Her socialization with other dogs is a work in progress. She has little understanding of how to act with other dogs. Her idea of playing Frisbee with her canine brother consists of running beside him while nipping at his heels rather than racing for the flying target. She thinks she’s playing; he’s confused by her actions. And despite her diminutive stature, she appears to want to be the boss of the pack (or at least of him), resulting in a few meetings of minds to “discuss” the situation. It is possible that she would be best suited to a one dog household unless her socialization skills improve.

Some dogs simply do not know how to play and Molly is one of them. She does not know what to do with toys. She dodges balls and Frisbees thrown her way and ignores them if rolled to her. She is similarly disinterested in soft toys. 

Molly’s reaction to strangers is to bark at them in a way that is upsetting to some. After a bit, she calms down when told “quiet” or “hush.” Her foster dad is attempting to teach her to “settle” as a command to calm herself. Molly would greatly benefit from an obedience class to provide her with the structure and skill set to manage her behavior.

This petite, intelligent girl just needs the love and guidance of a family who will help her achieve her potential as a fabulous part of their pack. Watch for her to be “available” soon!

Original:

Molly came to MAESSR from a Pennsylvania shelter where she was turned in by a family that had only had her for a month. They brought her to the shelter because, one time, she tried to take food from a child’s hand and accidentally grabbed a finger as well. The family then decided that she was not a nice girl and surrendered her. 

Miss Molly has a slight head tilt. A report to the shelter staff left open the possibility that children had mishandled Molly, which could account for the tilt. Fortunately, when the vet examined her for MAESSR, she found no evidence of any type of neurological or physical reason for it. Molly may always have her head cocked a little but does not seem to carry any impairment with it. The rest of her exam found her to be in good health. 

In her foster home Molly has done very well. However, she never received the manual on how to play with other dogs and which behaviors work and which ones can cause fights. Molly walked into her foster home and it was quickly evident that she needed to learn how to speak and play “DOG.” Initially she would run up to another dog barking and looking like she was going to hurt it……….. but that was not really what she had in mind. She just wanted to play. Molly has now been in her foster home for two weeks and has learned a lot about being around other dogs. She now interacts with the other dogs in a much more appropriate way with only an occasional slip-up when things get a bit too exciting and she wants to join in. 

This tiny sweetheart, weighing in at just 29 pounds, is house trained and crate trained. She also rides very well in the car. She spent a few days in a temporary foster home on her way to her long term foster family and there were two young children in that home. Molly behaved very well with the kids and took treats very nicely from them. She loves to sit next to her foster mom and get attention. In typical Springer fashion, she will grab her foster mom with her paw if she stops petting her. She doesn’t know many commands but does know “sit.”

Molly keeps her distance when people first come to visit, but eventually she will approach them and let them pet her. She does check in with her foster mom while she’s being petted for some reassurance. Molly is understandably cautious until she gets to know you, and then is perfectly fine with being handled. Her foster mom has had her hands in Molly’s mouth, looked at her ears, and messed with her feet without any issues. Once she has had some appropriate socialization, her foster mom thinks Molly will become a confident little girl who can approach anyone. 

With all the recent changes in her life, Molly displayed some anxiety and was started on an inexpensive medication. Her foster mom has already seen a lot of improvement with it and feels it is a good tool for Molly for now. This petite pup has been through a lot in her short life but her sweet temperament has shone through, despite it all. Molly’s personality will continue to blossom after she is adopted and her lucky forever family will be rewarded with a loyal and loving canine family member.