Molly Rose Pedersen

MOLLY ROSE PEDERSEN
August 10, 2000 – September 26, 2015

Many of you have been asking about Molly, who lived five years past the average age for collie survival. When it was Molly’s time, as her wonderful acupuncturist veterinarian, our neighbor Anna Gardner, called it, we would know.

Today we knew.

Just as she occupied the middle of our hearts and lives, Molly died embraced by blankets and by us in the middle of our home at Pulali. For every year she survived and thrived, we counted ourselves lucky. And doubly lucky because three years ago, she and Lilly traveled with us to Ojai, California. For our winters there, Lilly and Molly were the “angel dogs” of Ojai trails, with children leaning out car windows when they passed to call out “There go Lilly and Molly,” or “I like the fluffy one!”

That five-year old child meant Molly, who was indeed fluffy. Molly was deeply intelligent. I often felt as if Molly and I communicated directly through thought transmission. I didn’t have to speak or even gesture a command, and she knew to get beside me in “heel” position, rarely needing a leash. On the Ojai trails, she loved tiny dogs, in particular, and seemed to think they needed a little herding.

When guests came over, she greeted them by touching their knees with her pointy nose. On hikes or walks, she preferred that everyone stay together. She particularly seemed to think the white retriever Lilly was some kind of sheep who required special attention. For fourteen years, Lilly and Molly slept in mirror position, each miming the pose of the other even if not in the same room.

Because they’d always been inseparable, we thought Molly would follow Lilly quickly into death. However, Molly seemed to think Mark and I still l needed some adult supervision, and she stayed around another year and a half, always devoted. When she felt up to it, she continued to walk the mile of the Pulali Point loop. Her last walk, beautiful head up, body elegant, eager and sniffing the scents along the trail, clear out to Pulali Point overlooking the wide bay, was just five days before her death.

She leaves a hole in our hearts, but our hearts are bigger because she was here.