It’s hard to write a tribute to Mollie because there are just not enough words to describe her. “Unique” was the word we heard most often about her. “Unbelievable” was another. Mollie was a Chinese Crested Powderpuff dog, a rare creature from the start. Almost all white, with a chocolate brown mask that covered her eyes, she was playful and intensely loving. One trainer had told me that Mollie and I had what was referred to as a “super-bond” and that it wasn’t healthy. I didn’t care, I loved loving Mollie and being loved by her. She liked to sit on my lap while I worked on my computer patiently waiting for me to have time to play with her.
Over the years, Mollie stood right by my side, as I got married and had children. Her health started to decline. First she started having seizures, then came diabetes, then a diagnosis of encephalitis along with a very sad conversation with the vet, that Mollie would die in the next 6 months. Mollie, actually lived 3 ½ years more! Amazing everyone. She developed a tumor in her lung, an irregular heart rhythm and she went blind. She never gave up. It was finally one day, that I noticed her losing her sense of smell, she wasn’t able to find her food bowl anymore. She began just lying in her bed and moving less and less. Finally, one day, in my heart, I knew it was time.
I called Dr. Forslund and was immediately comforted. She was kind and listened to me cry on the phone. When she came to the house, my husband and I were in a very sad state. I don’t know what we would do if Dr. Forslund didn’t have the personality she does. She was so quiet and calm. It really did help us. Had we had someone else come or had to be in the dr. office-I can’t imagine. We were able to cry for Mollie-even my husband broke down. We felt safe. We said goodbye to her in a respectful and honest way. I was able to hold Mollie and be with her the moment she died. She was peaceful and not in pain. In a very unusual way, her exit of this world was a beautiful one and instead of it being a horrible memory, I actually cherish it. The tears still come to me when I remember it, but it was a perfect end to a wonderful life.
Thank you, Dr. Forslund.
Emilie Hoyt
Pasadena