[pyrnet] Fw: Happy Birthday

["nancy" <ndirocco@berkshire.net>]

>      Happy  Birthday  today  to  Sunny Hollows  Molly of  Oak  who
reaches
> the  milestone  of  10 years  old.  Ms  Molly  Mushmellow is  still  doing
> quite  well,  albeit  a bit  slower  than in  times past.  It  may take  a
> bit  longer  to  get  moving due  to  back end   aging,  and  she  now
has
> a  ramp to  get  into  the  van,  but  let  a  stranger  come  to  the
door
> or  a  rabbit   into  the  yard,  and  it  is  amazing  to  watch  the
> instant  energy spurt.
>      She  is  still  alpha over Bosco,  the  6 yo Newfie/shep,  who  she
> literally  raised from the  age of 4  weeks.  They are  best  buds,  and
it
> is  interesting  to  watch  the  inspection upon  return  home when  one
> has  gone someplace  such as  the  vets without  the other.
>      She  had  her  turns in  the  show  ring,  but  she  had  the
attitude
> that  she  could  take it  or  leave it,  and  when  my  health  took a
> decline,  we  decided  for  the  latter.  About  that  time,  my  then
> toddler  twin  grandaughters  arrived and  she  really  is  the  reason
> that  they know   so  much  about  dogs  and  now how  to  act  and handle
> them.  At the  same  time,  she  is  so  attune  to  my health  status,
and
> becomes  velcro  when  my  breathing  is  not right,  and  even  head
> butting  me  awake when I   have  started  with  an  asthma  attack  in
my
> sleep.
>
>       To  this  day,  Molly  hates baths  and  water  in  general.
Spending
> summers on  cape  cod,  we  just  dont  take  her  to  the  beach anymore
as
> she  will  tow  anyone  at  the  other  end  of  the  leash  up  the  sand
t
> o safety..  Bosco,  on  the  other  hand,  cant  get  into  the  water
fast
> enough,  and  I  dont  care  to  demonstrate    spread  eagles.  We  have
> had  times when  she,  realizing she was on a  pier  over water,  has
> droped  down  and  crawled on  her  belly back  to  safety.
>      One  quirky  fear  Molly  has  had,  and   demonstrated  every Fall
is
> that  she  is  afraid  of  real  pumpkins.  She  barks,  she growls,  and
> she  scoots  away  from  them.  The  scarecrows and  goblins  do  not
phase
> her in  the  least,  but  pumpkins.................
>      Healthwise,  about  the  only  non-annual visits  to  the  vets  over
> the  years have  been  for  occassional  UTIs.  Yes,  now  the  back  end
> is  definitely  weakened w  age,   but  daily glucosamine/chondrotin seems
> to  help.  BTW,  we  have  found  that  the  easiesst  way  to  get  her
to
> take  them as  well as  any other  med is  inside  a  marshmellow,  which
> just  the  sight of  the  bag brings her to you  eagerly.  She  does  have
> a  fatty  tumor on  oone  of  her  hindlegs  that  has  been  there  for
> some  time,  has  been  biopsied a  couple  times,  and  the  decision
made
> that  as  long  as it  does not  change,  at  her  age  it  is not  worth
> the  anesthsia  risk.  She  does have  a  reputation  at  the  vets
though
> of  being  able  to  shapeshift herself  into a  ball under  a  chair at
> the  thought  of  anyone  who  wants  to  look into  her  ears.  They  can
> do  anything  else to  her,  but  not  the  ears.
>
> Happy  Birthday  my  sweet  girl,  and  may  God  Bless  you  with  many
> more.
>
> Nancy
>