It is Molly’s one year Anniversary since Kimberly got this sweet baby girl. Happy “Gotcha Day Molly”! It’s been one year ago this week so I wanted to share Molly’s Happy Tail with all of you.
This story was sent in by our friend Kimberly Johnson. I am just thrilled we finally found Kimberly and her family a perfect match in Molly! According to my deaf dogs Nitro, Bud and myself the Johnson family totally ROCKS! ~ Christina Lee – Deaf Dogs Rock
Meet Miss Molly, the wonder Muffin! We have always had dogs in our home but when the onset of our empty nest season coincided with the discovery of a significant hearing loss, I began to long for that devotion and comfort that is so characteristic of a deafie. Since I have deaf family and friends and already know sign, I wasn’t quite as devastated as some would be at the onset of adult deafness but still, there was that need for comfort. Getting a deaf puppy made so much sense since we already had deaf dog experience, we are a signing household and the puppy’s hearing loss would cease to be a “disability” in this environment.
Miss Molly!
I began my search and applied to local rescues requesting a deaf (my request) Boxer(hubby’s request) puppy. Soon one of the Rescue contacts referred me to Deaf Dogs Rock and recommended that I reach out to founder, Christina Lee. I found DDR on Facebook and soon began to check their webpage weekly for available deafies. Before long I began sharing these pooches on Facebook, networking with several nationwide rescue and adoption groups, in hopes for helping them find their forever families while searching for our perfect match. But our dreams of adopting a deaf puppy were still only that, dreams. For six months I searched and searched, and cried and cried as one after another, deaf Boxer puppies became available in faraway places but never near us. I was so discouraged and said as much in a message to Christina one day and she encouraged me with these words: “Don’t lose hope because I think we can find you a boxer puppy close by where you live okay? Hang in there. ~”
Then in July we got devastating news. Our oldest dog, Maggie, who sustained a traumatic brain injury, had exhausted all the treatment options for one her age. Our vet tearfully told us that sweet Maggie’s days with us were numbered and we transitioned from active treatment to palliative care for her. Ten days after we received this grim prognosis two things happened. Sweet Maggie had a major stroke, making her even weaker and, in the same hour, we received a message through the DDR network from a rescue angel in Miami. Bernard had heard that a deaf puppy was in desperate need of rescue. He sent me the Craigslist posting and I immediately looked it up on line. There was a picture of a beautiful pup with deep soulful eyes and a number to text if interested. I looked at the time on my computer screen and sighed. If I texted this number at this hour (3:06 am) I would likely never get this puppy.
We carried Maggie to our bed and got her settled for the night and tried to sleep until a reasonable hour. Between my frequent checks on Maggie and my fear of sleeping in and missing out on this precious puppy, I am pretty sure I only slept about 45 seconds in any one given stretch! That night, while our family cuddled with the pooches and watched a movie, we tossed around possible names for this pretty little puppy. I recommended the name “Molly,” a good solid name that would fit in with our Family Boxers who were named Maggie and Max.
The next day, my daughter and I made the 4 hour drive to meet Mike and the tiny little puppy while my Hubby stayed home to care for Maggie. Upon arrival at our meeting spot, it was love at first sight! She was precious! As Mike placed her in my arms the first time, I asked if he had given her a name. “You can change it but I have been calling her Molly.” He replied. As my daughter and I exchanged shocked glances, tears formed in my eyes. “No, Molly is a lovely name.” I murmured, knowing that by divine providence, we had finally found our perfect puppy. Molly had come home!
While we questioned the timing of adding a puppy to the household with such an ailing pet, Molly’s arrival gave Maggie a renewed sense of energy and Maggie has recovered from her stroke remarkably well. Daily, with her gentle ways and eagerness to learn and her wiggle Boxer nub, Molly proves that she is the perfect puppy for us! She is our rocking deaf dog!
