On Father’s Day, Sunday June 15, 2015 we lost Molly our Irish wolfhound.  By “lost” I mean she died.  At the time I was out in the car. Warren phoned asking me to come home immediately.  Molly had collapsed on the kitchen floor.

When I arrived home minutes later Molly looked asleep.  I held my hand over her snout.  I couldn’t tell.  I felt the pads of her feet.  Still warmish. Was she really gone.  I just couldn’t believe it.  I didn’t want to act too hastily.  Oh dear.  What to do now?  We covered her with a blanket and reflected on the situation.   We had no warning.  Hours before Molly had exercised and eaten a full breakfast.  She had appeared healthy and happy.  She was only five years old.

What followed was like a dark comedy; a rewrite of “Weekend at Bernie’s”.   We dragged her 170 pound body out to the solarium.  A very very large grave was dug in the garden.  To fit onto Warren’s industrial construction dolly we positioned her body into an upright slump. Unfortunately a bit of her blanket slipped away revealing four inch tuffs of gray hair on the top of her head.  We joked that our neighbours would accuse us of getting rid of an old aunt.

I was glad that I hadn’t planted my entire garden. We sprinkled handfuls of flower seeds on top of Molly’s site and today it is covered with zinnias and cosmos.

This is not an original story. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada states that about half of Canadian households own some kind of pet.  Millions of families lose billions of pets.  Before we move on though, I just want to say what a great dog Molly was. She liked everyone. She was a very sweet, gentle and loving companion.  I walked her twice a day without fail and together we went through some  shitty times.   She gave me strength when I was going through my cancer treatments.  Just reaching my arms around her big barrel chest and giving her a hug made me feel better. She got me up and outside walking and together we appreciated the rising sun, the sounds of birds and the cool canopy of trees.  She was the best dog I ever had.

Here is a visual tribute of my dear Molly

What a gangly sweet pup

Trying to play with others

  At the dog park

 Looking coy

In happier times

Rest In Peace dear Molly