We didn't think she would be with us for very long. When we met her, she was bloated and incontinent, had cloudy eyes and terrible arthritis. She was in sad shape… that much we knew. But we also knew she needed a home, and we knew she needed us. So, in the summer of 2005, Molly joined our family, though we never imagined the joy that awaited us.

Molly was a 12-year old Treeing Walker hound. She was blonde and white (I think they call it "lemon," but she was always a blonde to me) and had huge, saucer-like brown eyes. We met Molly at our first Woofstock, a festival that we organize every August to benefit area animal shelters and rescue.

The Humane Society of Knox County brought her to the event to find an adoptive family for her. We had two rescue dogs at that point, Loki and Sadie. We were not in the market for a new dog. But she looked so sad, as hounds often do, and decided to visit her at the shelter to check on her a few weeks later.

Molly's story was a familiar one. She had been a hunting dog and tied outside her entire life. She had been tied to a short tie-out with no shelter, and when arthritis prevented her from hunting, they told their neighbor they were going to shoot her.

The neighbor was kind enough to take Molly to the shelter in Rockland, where she sat for six months, waiting for a family to love her and take care of her. Seeing Molly at the shelter that summer, we knew we had to take her. She would have died there, out of sheer loneliness.

We told the shelter staff we would foster her at the store to see if we could find an adoptive family for her. I remember telling a customer we were looking for a family for Molly, while my husband stood beside me, shaking his head "no." We knew we had found a family for her. We were her family. We called the shelter 24 hours after bringing her home to "foster" and told them we wanted to keep her. Martha Kalina, the shelter director at the time, laughed and said, "We knew it!"

Molly was a challenge. She was a hound and had her own way of doing things. She wasn't housebroken, we had to teach her to climb stairs, and she was perpetually sleepy. Then there was the matter of her health. Initially, her arthritis was so bad that my husband had to hold up her back end while she urinated. We switched her to a healthy diet, and gradually, she found the Fountain of Youth. We had a 12 year old puppy on our hands, and our customers were on-hand to witness the amazing transformation.

Molly became our "shop girl." She was our greeter, and followed people around from room-to-room, waiting for a pat, or for a dropped treat. We would hear a "thud" in the next room, the result of Molly "trying out" a new bed. Molly only liked the small beds. She was a 50-pound dog who only liked beds fit for a poodle. She was a curler, a snuggler. She had a serious shoplifting problem. Well, it wasn't a problem for her. She would jump up on the 4-foot display of dog chews and take what she wanted. She was a bad, bad hound. But we never had the heart to scold her, because our Molly was such a sweet girl.

All Molly wanted was a family to love her. Our friend Sue once told us that she had the distinct feeling that Molly had waited her whole life for us, that she knew she was meant to be treated like royalty. And she was royalty to us. She was funny and sweet and loyal and tolerant and wonderful.

As it turns out, though we didn't think we would have her for very long, Molly was with us for two and a half years, and they were very happy years. Every day was a gift, and we knew it. As with everylife, death comes whether we are ready or not. I was most decidedly not ready, but she was, because she knew she had finally found the family that eluded her most of her life. We loved her, and she loved us, and that was enough for all of us.

Endings are heartbreaking and we were grief-stricken and inconsolable, and our every moment was consumed with worry the last weeks of her life. But then we saw how much good Molly's story could bring to other dogs that are waiting for all of us to take them home.

Adopting a senior dog is the best thing I have ever done. None of us have any idea how long we, or they, have on this earth. These older pets need us. They shouldn't live out their days in a shelter.

Losing a dog hurts. It hurts more than I ever anticipated, and some nights I wake up sobbing, wondering what on earth possessed me to get attached to a dog so deeply. But then I think of Molly in that shelter, pleading with us to take her home. I know we did the right thing, for us, and for her. She was happy, and she made us happy.

In this life, where our days are numbered, happiness is everything. Go to the shelter or to rescue and visit the senior dogs. It's not sad. It's wonderful, I promise.

We are in the process of developing The Molly Foundation, in her honor. This non-profit foundation will help other area senior dogs in rescue, and help people who are in need apply for emergency funds for their senior dogs. The Molly Fund has been set up at the Humane Society of Knox County to help with the care of senior dogs.

We are revamping our Adoption Center at the store to spotlight senior dogs and cats. We will be sponsoring the run where Molly was housed at the shelter. The most senior dog at the shelter will be fed, courtesy of Merrick Pet Care, for their entire stay there.

I'm sure there will be more to come. We needed to move the grief into something constructive, so that we can celebrate her life. Helping other dogs seems to be the only thing that helps us move forward. And move forward we must. We have three other dogs at home that need us, we have scores of customers whose pets need us, and there are thousands of dogs in our area who need us, too.

On behalf of Molly, we need to thank our very special circle of friends who enriched Molly's life.

First, Dr. Karin Tichy, who is not only a terrific vet, but a terrific person. We appreciate her compassion, her honesty, and her humor and her care. We believe in her and know that Molly was in good hands with her, always.

Also, thank you to Molly's "groupies," Dr. Sue Giglia and Robin Drouin. Molly loved you both and was always happy to see you and make you pet her.

Thank you to our customers, who would always stop to pet her or give her a treat, who would ask about her, and later, who grieved with us. I am certain that there are no better customers in the world than our customers. You have all made these weeks so much more bearable for us, and it is something I will never forget.

We appreciate your cards, your kindness, and especially your donations to the Humane Society of Knox County in her name.

Thank you to the Humane Society of Knox County, you are truly special people. I know I say this all the time, but shelter and rescue people are saints. They are amazing people, who have very difficult jobs, and fight the good fight. The Knox County shelter kept Molly, a senior dog with a plethora of health issues, who may have seemed unadoptable to some, for over six months. They kept bringing her to adoption events and getting her picture out there. If they hadn't believed that every dog deserved a good home, no matter what their age, we would have never met Molly at Woofstock. We owe our happiness with Molly to you, and we can never repay you for introducing us to our girl.

And last, but never ever least, thank you to our Mollypants. Molly, you taught us about unselfish, unconditional love, and you will always be a part of us. We vow to help others who cannot help themselves, in your name. We love and miss you, sweet girl… every day.

Good night, Molly. Sweet dreams, my angel.