April 13, 2021

Annie, 14-011, and Molly, 14-012, came into GRRoW as a bonded pair over seven years ago. We fostered and adopted them, and they spent countless hours paying it forward for future GRRoW foster dogs at meet and greets and fundraisers. The second you met them, you loved them.

Our dear Annie left us in April 2020 at 15 1/2, only after making the world as happy as she could. She was an irresistible sweetheart, mushy, smushy cuddler, and a super-powerful hug magnet. We had to warn people.

Whether visiting an assisted living facility or showing new fosters the ropes, she was a caring and loving soul. Completely deaf, she listened with her heart and knew just who to nudge. They might have thought she wanted attention, but really, she was giving it. One of Annie’s greatest testaments is how she helped someone overcome their fear of dogs. She radiated love.

She loved the beach, dog park, and walking in the neighborhood, but mostly for socializing in later years. Many evenings were spent on the front lawn, watchin’ people go by and sayin’ howdy. Maybe that’s why she liked being at GRRoW events…the endless stream of people who stopped to pet her and scratch under her jaw, her favorite spot. Unguarded snacks in children’s stroller trays were another nice perk.

She loved laying in the sun, her bright red hair blazing a memory each time. We laughed when she took over Grandma’s chair, refused to get off the bed, or blocked hallways and doorways until we paid a toll of scratches.

Molly, affectionately known to us as Molishka, joined Annie at the Rainbow Bridge early last Wednesday at the age of 12 1/2, a year to the day. She walked in on her own steam, off-leash, free. The laryngeal paralysis may have been taking over her body, but never her spirit. A few days prior she visited her friends at the assisted living facility, as bright and cheerful as ever. Nothing could keep her down after one of the greatest transformations we ever witnessed…her happiness went nuclear as she reclaimed her life.

If she thought you forgot how much she loved you in the last two minutes, she would remind you. Her love was unwavering, never giving up to win someone’s heart, including the shyest or most troubled of fosters. She was arguably the most selfless dog we ever knew.

We met her at five and were blessed with over seven years. Calendar girl, sweetheart, neighborhood greeter, ginormous heart, you name anything to do with love and that was her. She was the definition of friend, the model for cuddling, and the Queen of Wrestling to her sisters and little brother.

We are comforted to know Annie and Molly are back together.