And that’s a wrap. The last season and episode of our sweet and beloved Molly Mae’s life has come to an end. 😓 She made it to 8 1/2-years-old, but I still feel her life was cut short. Damn cancer! 😡She was born on February 13, 2016 to a litter of nine purebred Chesapeake Bay Retrievers at Grand Oaks Chesapeake’s. She passed away in my arms, with her Daddy at her side late today, July 15, 2024. Ironically, she was born the day after our first beloved Chessie, Penny, died. One great life leaving us, and the other preparing to enter our lives. And now we’ve lost another Chessie legend. 

 Molly, aka Grand Oaks The Unsinkable Molly Brown II, her AKC registered name, was our little firecracker from the start. She certainly lived up to her namesake, and shared many traits with the famous Molly Brown. She was smart as a whip, vivacious, spunky, loud, in charge, and she knew she was wrapped around our little fingers. She definitely had personality! Goofy as heck, crazy and quirky, we affectionately referred to her as our big brown clown. She was a true CAD…Crazy Ass Dog. 😆

But she was also sweet, loving, fiercely loyal, and protective. I will never forget how she loved and protected my Mom when she lived with us and battled Alzheimer’s Disease. Molly was almost always by her side. She knew Mom was special, and provided her extra love and care. Grandma’s girl till the end. ❤️ She was here for me through a multitude of surgeries. Always sniffing me when I came home from the hospital, she just had to know who had their hands on her Mom. She would kiss me and lay by my side and serve as my recovery partner. When Mom passed away in 2022, she comforted  me in my grief. 

She loved her Daddy dearly, but she was truly a Momma’s girl. My Velcro dog, always at my side. She followed me everywhere. She knew nothing of personal boundaries, and she didn’t care. She even joined me in my bubble bath on one occasion. I learned to keep the door closed tightly after that debacle. 🙄Bathroom trips….good luck finding privacy to do your thing. She barged through that bathroom door like a battering ram to be near her people. She would lay across my feet as I sat on the toilet. Figured I was in the ideal position to pet and love on her. And she loved to be loved. And loved she was, to the moon and back, and for eternity. Momma made sure to tell her that regularly.

Molly’s breed is a water dog and she loved and lived to swim. We ended up buying a pool at our new house just for Molly so she could continue living her best life. She would swim for hours, and we would have to throw her bumper out on the grass and run up to shut the pool gate just to keep her from re-entering. She would make us throw that bumper in repeatedly for her to retrieve, and bark like a wild thing if we dare stop. Even up until her last days, she enjoyed her pool time.

She loved going for rides, particularly for ice cream. She always wanted to be with her people. She would greet us by running back and forth between our legs as soon as we came home from work. Then she would stand there ass backwards between our legs wanting her butt scratched. When we let her out each morning or after work, she would roll on her back demanding a belly rub. 

She rooed and barked like a crazy beast when anyone came to visit. She guarded her property, and appointed herself the designated neighborhood watch dog…the Big Threat of Berkshire Drive. No criminals would dare enter our neighborhood on her watch. 😈 She could appear intimidating if you didn’t know her, but once she knew you were “safe”, she accepted you into her circle like family. She would drive family, friends, and visitors nuts with her incessant insistence that they throw her ball or toy for her repeatedly. She would bark at them if they dare refuse. Speaking of balls, that was her second most love. She went through balls like kids go through candy. I have so many pictures of her with a ball in her mouth. ❤️

She was also a first-rate thief and a bandit. She would run off with your bathroom towel if you didn’t shut the door. Made things interesting when you got out of the shower naked. 😳She would steal guest’s clothing items and deposit them in other rooms. She had a particular affinity for wash cloths, towels and dish rags. When you tried to get said item back from her, she would run around the house with it playing catch me if you can. 

She was a goofball and would park herself right in the middle of my hostas in the summer. Must’ve loved the feel of those cool leaves. 🙄 She had her sassy moments, and we referred to her as the back-talking Chessie, because she always had something to interject, especially when it came to saying no to her. 

Our dear girl was super smart and knew all of her basic obedience commands by the time she was four -months-old. She also apparently knew how to spell. When John and I would spell words around her like swim, treat, ride, walk and go, among many others, she knew exactly what we were talking about. She was also incredibly sensitive at picking up on environmental cues, and could detect if we were planning to leave, or even when our company was planning on leaving. Then she was racing off to the door. 

She had an incredible nose, and was being trained to become a search and rescue dog. Sadly, her SAR career came to an end at the age of two, when she was brutally attacked by another dog. She had multiple surgeries as a result, but due to the damage to her rear legs, she would never be able to meet the demands of being a SAR dog. So, she went back to living the life of a pampered, indoor house pet. She was first and foremost our beloved pet and companion, but we always needed to keep her busy. She had an active mind and liked to figure things out. I often told her she was too smart for her own good. Daddy would spend afternoons playing ball with her outside to entertain her and wear her out. We would play hide and seek with her, and have her locate us or other friends or family members inside or outside the house after we had hidden. Then she would run to find us. She loved that game. 

My Molly Girl, you were a true gem. A friend till the end.  We couldn’t ask for a better dog. ❤️ We will miss you beyond measure. Our hearts ache and the tears flow as we return to an empty house once filled with your love and craziness. Your passing leaves a scar deep in our souls. 

I’m happy that you are no longer suffering, and that you will go be with Jesus and be fully restored once again. I know Grandma will be at the Rainbow Bridge waiting to greet you with open arms as you cross. It warms my heart knowing you will be with her until we are reunited. You will also get to meet the rest of the family, and your dear doggie siblings who have already passed. So, go run free, my little Baby Bear. Your Daddy and I will love you always. You will forever remain in our hearts. You will always be our dear Molly Mae, Crazy Daisy, Princess Noodle, The Best Bessie Chessie in the World, Molly The Wonder Dog, My Ellie, My Lucy Lou, Little Brown Bear, Sweet Pea, and Baby Girl. Love and kisses until

we see you again.❤️ ❤️❤️