I have been to so many dog rescue adoption events. I’ve had my heart tugged by more experiences than I can count. Young dogs and puppies that are bouncing around, running into the arms of awaiting people. Young dogs and puppies who are more reserved, sticking closely to the volunteers who have come to be known as their safety nest. And then there are the older dogs with grey around their muzzle. They may be sleeping in their crate or moving more slowly. The culmination of their years of life experience has either given them reason to shut the world out or search for the gentle kindness in a stranger. Usually, it is these dogs who leave the event no different from when they arrived, except the addition of one more experience. Occasionally though, someone with an open-heart changes the fate for one of them. I’ve always thought there is a really special place for people who embrace that choice. WKRQ (Q102)’s Mollie Watson is one of those people.
It was Sunday, February 13, 2022. A day that will forever go down into history as the second ever Super Bowl in which our Cincinnati Bengals played. It was also the last day of our region’s largest pet adoption event, My Furry Valentine. Mollie was there to do her job. As a radio personality, she can be spotted all over town doing remote broadcasts to promote businesses and events.
This appearance was different even before it began. You see, Mollie has grown up in a family that has always included rescue dogs (between her parents and siblings, there were 7 rescues before Super Bowl Sunday).
And only months earlier, Mollie suffered her deepest loss when she had to say good-bye to her best friend, soulmate and love of her life – Griffey, a blond wheaten terrier mix. He was around 7 or 8 when they first met at a different adoption event. He was sitting quietly in a crate, the chaos of barking and movement going on around him. Mollie was drawn to him.
“The sanctuary told me he gets along with cats, dogs and roosters,” Mollie said.
That was all Mollie needed to know. Over the next four years, the last years of his life, Griffey was always at the door with wagging tail and wiggly body waiting for his companion to walk in the door. Griffey was a comfort at times. A non-judgmental listening ear. A confidant. A reason to laugh and smile.
Then one day everything changed. He didn’t want to go for walks. He wouldn’t eat. He was so ‘not himself’.
The subject is still tough for Mollie to talk about.
“When I made the decision to send him away, it was awful. I cried for four straight days,” she said.
That last day they napped in his favorite park, watched the sunset and did all of his favorite things.
Mollie laid beside him when the veterinarian came in. “I could feel our souls detaching,” she remembered. “And then there was this sense of calmness. I knew he was alright. I could breathe and know that he was okay.”
“I have had these thoughts,” she told me. “‘What if I’d never come into his life.’ The thought of him going through that in a shelter or foster home broke my heart.”
Life Adjustments
Right after the loss, Mollie didn’t think she’d ever get another dog. She couldn’t bear the thought of going through that again. Her life shifted. She could meet a friend for a drink after work and get home hours later. She could travel. She was ‘freer’ to do all kinds of things on the spur of the moment that she wasn’t able to do with another, older life who needed her attention at home.
BUT, there was this nagging feeling. She missed having that special companion of a furry friend. It was inescapable.
The Assignment That Changed Everything
Maybe it was fate that had her assigned to work at My Furry Valentine. Really, she told me, she had not intended on leaving with a dog.
But Mollie spotted Sadie in a crate, her head held low. Sadie is estimated to be around 12 years old. As best they can tell, she is a German Shepherd/Chow mix. She has a limp and walks slowly. No one knows what happened to have caused it.
“I could sense a little of, ‘Hi, I know you are going to pet me but then I am going back to my other home.’”
Mollie walked around for two hours. She called everyone she knew. She was trying to find someone who maybe would tell her to walk away. It didn’t happen.
The two left the facility together that day. Mollie had a brief panic moment when she woke up the next day.
“Oh my gosh, I got a dog. I don’t want to go through the pain of losing another one again.
“Then I realized I want to share my gift and my perspective with her. I don’t know how much time I have with Sadie but I am going to make that time awesome. I am going to love her and give her treats and keep her content.”
And THAT is the greatest gift anyone can give anyone!
Final Question: What would you tell people about why they should consider adopting an older dog?
Mollie: “They are much less work than a puppy. I can get home from work and nap, and she will be perfectly happy doing that with me. Besides, it just feels really good. They deserve love, comfort and safety too. It’s hard to explain. It gives me comfort knowing I will be giving Sadie the best end of life possible with lots of cuddles, treats and love.”
