The Hidden Beast

Our Molly is a rescue, as you know. She is a yellow Lab from all appearances. The Vet upon first examination hypothesized that she most likely was a hunting dog because she had her dew claws removed, a BB pellet under her right eye and had been previously fixed. I say previously because she was made to go under this indignity twice.

If in fact she was a hunting dog, I understand why she was found wandering the farmland of Iowa. She will go on point (like a hunting dog, not a ballerina), she will flush out birds, and track down any small creature in our yard. However, her game is keep away, not retrieve. I imagine she was hunting with her hunting person and found something interesting and just kept running.

Yesterday I was at a dear friends and she welcomed both myself and the girls up for a pizza night with her children. I was unsure how the night would go because they have a new kitten. Molly and Vegas take great pride and pleasure from chasing cats in our backyard, protecting us from eminent harm. We arrived at the house and the young kitten was being held by one of the girls. The dogs sniffed and moved on - no big deal. They were off to smell, play, romp. We sat at the table eating pizza, big dogs and little kitten under the table, the lions and the lamb.

After dinner we played some wii. Molly began sniffing around the dining room table. I had no concern because she had laid next to the cat during dinner. All of a sudden, "woof, woof, woof" she is cornering the sweet kitten as if the kitten had revealed that in fact she was a terrorist (which will all know is true). "Woof, woof, woof!!!!" and the dining room table is rocking and the kitten is in full arched back Halloween pose as Molly channels her full Cujo inner beast.

"No!!" I say with complete authority.

"Just kidding!" Molly says as she wags her tail, puts her ears back and smiles at me. She moves on and the game is over.

She, as my Mother says, is a Dickens. Life is all the more sweeter with her in it. A smidgen scary some times, but definitely sweeter.

Dedicated to Lucy.