Molly (2001-2014)
This is a very recent picture of Molly, or as most here know her, Big. And Big was an apt name. While she was physically large for a GSD, what really made her BIG was the HUGE swath of love she left in her wake.
Molly was born in Pennsylvania. Two of my youngest son's childhood friends had been married for a few years. As so many young couples do before kids, they wanted a dog. Molly was theirs. She was only 8 weeks old when my son and the guy friend drove up to the breeder to get her. She rode back in my son's lap.
They were a tight group of friends. While Molly was this young couple's dog, she was everyone's favorite puppy and adolescent dog. She was as gentle a soul as ever took air. She truly never snapped at anyone, never growled, never did anything but show affection. She never met a human she didn't like. It was a deep empathy she had for us humans.
The woman who owned her tragically came down with a rare cancer. Molly made it her business to be as comforting as was possible for any dog to be. She was, for a year, the woman's security blanket and balm.
When the woman died, her husband, the guy my son went with to get the dog, couldn't deal with things anymore. His life turned tragic. One night, out of the blue, my son got a call. Molly needed a home. And so it was that Molly came into our family. At the time, my son was living in a house we had just finished rehabbing. He had just met the woman who would become his wife. She wasn't all that fond of Molly. To the best of my knowledge, she is singularly. the only person who ever met Molly and didn't like her.
She and my son moved to North Carolina where they would be living in an apartment. There would be no room for Molly. They tried to find a place for her. A coworker of my (now former) DIL said she'd take her and so Molly was left with other friends for the week she said it would be before she could get her.
That week turned to two. Then three. Excuses followed. Molly was one of four dogs where she was staying, and the people said they couldn't keep her too much longer. And so we said we'd take her. She'd been here for weeks at a time over the years as they went on vacations. She was once even here a month as they did an expended honeymoon.
So at about age 5 Molly came to live with us. She and our other dog got along very well and had known each other for years before she moved in permanently.
We had always known Molly to be almost unbelievably gentle. After she became a member of our family permanently we learned how inadequate the simple term "gentle" was to describe this dog. Connected might be a better word. Let one of us feel out of sorts and there was Molly, all 100 pounds of her, giving hugs by wrapping her body around our legs and pressing close. Let us be lying down and she was tall enough to lick our face as we lay there.
Every piano student who came by was her special favorite. Until the next one. She would lie at their feet under the piano and just listen quietly. For the Moms who waited for their child, she would lay by them instead. Always welcoming. Never asking for so much as a pat or a scratch, instead preferring to give, to just be there.
She followed our lead when it came to strangers. The UPS guy was never welcomed until we greeted him. The mailman, even though he showed up every day, was never greeted with anything but window rattling barking. When I traveled, I felt better about Sparkly knowing the owner of the teeth in the picture above was there.
Our little secret was that Molly was simply incapable of attacking anyone. She could put on quite a show to the contrary, but it was 100% bluster.
Molly was one who would do what was asked of her, no matter what, and without drama. She slept by my side every night. When she sometimes asked to go out at night, I always told her to lay down. Always. If she really needed to go, she'd ask again.
Anyway, I am rambling.
This afternoon Molly ran out after the deer as she always does. In the rain, she didn't so much see them as smell them. She miscalculated and ran left until she saw they were to the right. She tried to make a quick sharp turn and her diseased leg gave out.
My dear, beautiful, noble, loving dog went down. I saw it happen and heard her cry. I was about to run out into the rain to carry her back but, noble to the end, she got up and came to me.
The look on her face as she walked, hobbled on three legs and crying, told me it was time.
She left us today.
I am really in pain. I shall miss her.
This afternoon she is with the woman who she really belongs to. The rest of us were only caretakers.
Having her here has been a privilege.
Bye Molly. We all love you.
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OMG, Stinky, I'm so sorry! Dammit, she was doing so well with the meds, too. I really thought you'd have a lot more time with her than you'd expected. Having had a dog with the same illness this kind of accident is what I fretted over all the time while he had the cancer, and here it's happened with your sweet girl.
I'm so upset about this. With all the photos and your talking about Big I felt like I knew her as much as I know and care about my neighbor dogs. Just a few nights ago I was wondering when the fireflies would start making an appearance this spring and recalled the time that you shared a photo of your walking with Big and a firefly decided to ride along on her bum. I got a good chuckle about that all over again.
And you weren't just caretakers by any stretch of the imagination. Big/Molly was part of your family for a long time, you all adored her and she gave that back in spades. If it makes you feel better though to think otherwise to get through this, than by all means - any port in a storm. I'm so very sorry that you lost her sooner than expected and so suddenly. Even though we know it's coming it's still devastating no matter what the circumstances of losing our beloved fur babies.
Oh man, this is just so sad.
I feel like I knew Molly, and your eulogy makes it more so.
Safe journey, Molly. 
And Stinky, my sincere condolences.
She sounds like she was a magnificent girl.
What a good girl; she loved and was loved in return.
I had a German Shepherd mix (with Husky) growing up and loved her like crazy.
to you, Stinky
I'm really sorry. I know your pain.
And I'm so very sorry for it. She deserves this eulogy and she deserves your mourning.
May your fond memories of her ease the pain. Sounds like she was an amazing girl. Never enough time with them.
We too have a lovely dog named Molly, whom I think will be leaving us soon. But this is your Molly's wake and I know she's gone to the light.
My own Molly, age 11, who lost her original owner too, is not doing so well. My heart goes out to you and those your Molly touched.
What a sad loss it is. You describe a very good soul that blessed everyone she met just by being there.
They are our Angels, always.
pain of a loss like this, so I send hugs to you and Sparky, your family and your other dogs. 
RIP, Big. You were such a good girl! Rest easy across the Rainbow Bridge.
