Part of my Vegan MoFo 2013 is doing blog entries dedicated to each year I've been vegan.
A lot happened for me in 2008, but one was the most important event of all: I filled a pudgy sausage-dog-shaped hole in my heart that I didn't even know was there. In July, a long time friend of mine called me up from my hometown to ask, since she knew I am a dog lover, if I could take her sister's dog Molly, as her sister was no longer able to care for her. When someone offers you a dog, how can you refuse? So I consulted briefly with my live-in boyfriend, and said yes.
On one of the first days of August, my friend Stephanie drove down with her mom Betty, Molly, and Betty's dog Brannie. Molly, who we would quickly learn is pretty shy, was understandably wide-eyed and nervous while gingerly exploring her new home. She had, and still has, an adorably lopsided underbite- the result of her boxer-pug parentage.
After the the first three months with Molly, we took her for a tooth cleaning and discovered extensive decay, requiring surgery which ended up costing over $1,000 from us and nine teeth from her! It left a big gap in her trademark underbite, but once the initial shock of waking up from surgery wore off, Molly seemed, happier, healthy, and more eager to eat.
After the the first three months with Molly, we took her for a tooth cleaning and discovered extensive decay, requiring surgery which ended up costing over $1,000 from us and nine teeth from her! It left a big gap in her trademark underbite, but once the initial shock of waking up from surgery wore off, Molly seemed, happier, healthy, and more eager to eat.
And Molly loves to eat! It took her six full months to warm up to my boyfriend, but the trick that did it was that he became The Giver of Meals when I went on a trip for several weeks. Once she overcame her initial shyness, Molly discovered that her 'dad' is a super soft touch, prone to overindulging her with luxuries like hot blankets fresh out of the dryer, and now she's his little shadow.
Molly was already 8 when I got her, earning her the moniker 'old mama.' Now, at 13 going on 14, she has graduated to 'old grandma.' This despite the fact that she has never had puppies. She is a grumpy old ball of lumps, bumps, crusties, moles, warts, scabs, deathfarts, and boogers, and I love her to the core of my being.
Molly was already 8 when I got her, earning her the moniker 'old mama.' Now, at 13 going on 14, she has graduated to 'old grandma.' This despite the fact that she has never had puppies. She is a grumpy old ball of lumps, bumps, crusties, moles, warts, scabs, deathfarts, and boogers, and I love her to the core of my being.
Although Molly did eat vegan kibble for a while, she was having allergy and weight issues, so her dad and I switched her to a hypoallergenic and non-vegan kibble and she's doing a lot better. Some of her favorite treats, however, are still vegan!
One of Molly's favorite indulgences used to be strawberries- we would throw her the top, stem and all, and she would happily gulp it down. These days, however, she doesn't get too excited by them.
The snack that always gets her up with a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed focus to silently beg while I eat is onigiri- a Japanese snack using seasoned sushi rice, some sort of filling, and a nori seaweed wrapper, packed in a triangle. Molly loves seaweed with a passion- which is good, because it's very healthy for both humans and dogs! I get ume (pickled plums) or tsukemono (mixed pickled veg) onigiri from my local supermarket deli. Molly gets small nibbles of rice and nori for quietly and patiently waiting.
One of Molly's favorite indulgences used to be strawberries- we would throw her the top, stem and all, and she would happily gulp it down. These days, however, she doesn't get too excited by them.
The snack that always gets her up with a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed focus to silently beg while I eat is onigiri- a Japanese snack using seasoned sushi rice, some sort of filling, and a nori seaweed wrapper, packed in a triangle. Molly loves seaweed with a passion- which is good, because it's very healthy for both humans and dogs! I get ume (pickled plums) or tsukemono (mixed pickled veg) onigiri from my local supermarket deli. Molly gets small nibbles of rice and nori for quietly and patiently waiting.
Or not. The longer I oh-so-inconsiderately enjoy my own food while Molly silently pleads with me to spontaneously drop everything on the floor, the more insistent she becomes. It starts with a small whimper and graduates to a paw on the leg. Nothing gets Molly more antsy than when I microwave a serving of Amy's frozen vegan Mac & Cheese.
Molly has good taste, because this stuff is the best vegan mac & cheese I've ever had! The taste is perfect, and the texture is creamy without being clumpy or oily. From the moment the cellophane is ripped open, Molly is at rapt attention, following closely even as I remove it from the microwave and begin eating. She whimpers and paws and I reply with "excuse me," until I have finished the mac and cheese and scraped the excess sauce from the container. Then it's Molly's turn to lick the container clean.
I've never seen someone so excited over such a small amount of food. But I guess that's what dogs are for, is to show us how to be thankful for even the littlest things in life. And I most definitely am grateful for the little snaggletoothed thing in my life!
Molly has good taste, because this stuff is the best vegan mac & cheese I've ever had! The taste is perfect, and the texture is creamy without being clumpy or oily. From the moment the cellophane is ripped open, Molly is at rapt attention, following closely even as I remove it from the microwave and begin eating. She whimpers and paws and I reply with "excuse me," until I have finished the mac and cheese and scraped the excess sauce from the container. Then it's Molly's turn to lick the container clean.
I've never seen someone so excited over such a small amount of food. But I guess that's what dogs are for, is to show us how to be thankful for even the littlest things in life. And I most definitely am grateful for the little snaggletoothed thing in my life!
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