Hi, my name is Molly. This is the Inner Puppy support group, isn't it? Well, here's my story. I came from a broken home. In my first family, my mom was married to a pretty mean guy. I mean, I was just a puppy, and puppies make mistakes. But I guess he wasn't a dog person, because he kicked me sometimes when I messed up. I sure did have fun playing with my 2-legged brother and sister, though. I thought things were better when my mom got remarried. It was one of those "blended families" and I really liked having more kids around. That is, until they said the new baby was allergic to me. That's when they made me live outside. I was so lonesome! It wasn't so bad when they came out to play with me, but the nights were pretty long. Not to mention the winter! Nobody came outside much when it was cold. Talk about your self-esteem issues! I began to over- function; I learned to open the gate and come around to scratch at the front door. Well, it worked for people! But not for dogs, I guess. One day, though, my mom took me to the beauty shop. Wow, it felt so good to get cleaned up, and have my outside match my inside!
Funny thing, a different lady came to get me there--and she had a kid too! And I tell ya; this kid was just wild about me! She looked kind of young, but she was one of those dog people--she knew all the right places to scratch, and her hugs were just the right size. Her mom kept telling me that all my troubles were over. But I was kind of nervous at first. After all, it was a new house, and there were 2 other dogs there already. Abbey is a Doberman--I think she has ADD, and Max is what the little girl calls a "Mudd". But they seemed pretty happy, and left me alone while I settled in. Anyway, I kind of had a flashback--my new dad walked behind me while I was eating and I just couldn't help myself. I bit him on the leg! I was SOOO embarrassed! I think he knew I didn't really mean it. But the next day I made it up to him--I sprinted 100 yards across the backyard to
welcome him home from work! I was just so happy they didn't make me live outside anymore. I've been working on getting in touch with my inner golden; you know, leaving the past behind, enjoying life one day at a time. I now feel confident enough to be more than 2 feet away from my new mom!
I have some important jobs at my new home. I saw there was work to do and I just pitched in. I keep the yard free of those pesky squirrels. And I make sure the neighbor dog has real clear boundaries! But my most important job is putting my little kid to bed - she can't go to sleep if I'm not there! And we have to get our rest--because we play hard together all day. Sometimes she dresses me up, sometimes I'm her pillow, and sometimes we play in the wading pool together. Phew, a 5-year-old can kind of wear you out!
It's a good thing I had previous experience! When I first came to my new home, my mom said something like, I was a foster dog and she'd be finding me a great new home. Well, that was last summer and I don't think I'm going anywhere! It looks like I found my forever family at last.