Molly is a beloved senior citizen of Addison Street. She is a 12 year old English Setter, beautiful, sweet natured, and a little bit skittish in the face of uncertainty. If she knows you well, she will appear at your door and peer inside with her irresistibly optimistic dogface in the hope that you will dole out a biscuit or a half eaten sandwich. Molly has plenty of reason to be optimistic.
When she developed a bad looking abdominal tumor, her people, the huge-hearted M&K, decided on surgery in the hope that Molly would have a year or so of relative health and comfort remaining. The surgery went well and Molly was up and about and all set to go home when she threw a blood clot and had a stroke. She lay on her side in her cage at the vet's, unable to move, panting, terrified and disoriented. After much angst and deliberation, M&K decided to gather her into their arms and bring her home to see what would unfold over the next day or so.
Each of those days was a 24-hour nightmare. Molly had no control over her body. She had to be bathed gently each of the many times she messed her bed every day. Those were terrible days and it was not at all clear that keeping Molly alive was the best idea. But M&K's hearts are huge and their patience extraordinary. As days went by Mollie was able to raise her head and she seemed less disoriented but still unable to control her body. So she lay on her bed in sadness for a few days and then she gave up. Molly stopped eating.
Molly gave up but M&K did not. They realized she was bored and lonely on her bed inside, so they slipped a blanket under and took her outside to lay on the lawn and hold court for her many visitors and well-wishers. She perked up considerably, but still Molly wouldn't eat. That is, until the very nurturing neighbor D arrived with a full pound of freshly cooked bacon. Molly lifted her head and wolfed it down in huge gulps. This followed by a tiny wag of the tip of the tail. Oh joy! Soon came Wendy's double cheese burgers, vanilla ice cream and every other treat that dogs crave and musn't eat.
Unbelievably, Molly was soon limping down the street fully supported by soft slings under each end of her belly, held up by M or K, listing to leeward, but on her feet. The more she did the more she wanted to do. Each day brought miniscule improvements and after weeks of blanket rides up and down the stairs, Molly one day - oh, so slowly - climbed the four steps from the lawn to the door. Miracle after miracle.
Molly has now rewired herself to the point where she walks independently with a limp and tires easily, but the old Molly is back, sweet, happy, friendly, and increasingly mobile. The most notable remaining effect is the loss of her wide side-to-side tail wag. Molly now wags her tail in a big circle, a skill possessed by only the rarest of dogs.
