Molly Moo Cow Putnam, February 8, 2011 – December 21, 2024

December 2024, we had to say goodbye to our beloved Molly Moo Cow. She was our first Springer Spaniel and a delightful family member for 13 years. We learned how to be better pet owners with our sweet Molly, while still making a few mistakes along the way. She was a happy pup who had the most wonderful smile. I never thought dogs could show facial expressions, but Molly proved otherwise. She loved chasing light and shadow fairies. One winter when it was brutally cold outside, we came up with the brilliant idea of using a laser pointer to give Molly some exercise as she loved to chase the light. We later found out from Daisy’s breeder that this was a bad idea as it tends to make dogs crazy! Opps… Well with damage done, Molly got her exercise and provided unexpected entertainment whenever there was a light reflection be it intentional or unintentional; the later often occurring with a piece of jewelry, ie a watch, or a glass where the light reflected off the crystal.

As a bird dog, Springers are hunting dogs after all, Molly loved chasing birds or their shadow reflections when we went on walks. Unlike Hannah Bear, our chocolate lab that came before Molly, Moo Cow was a quite dog and never barked, except perhaps when it was dinner time, and she was excited for food or if she wanted in from outside and we were not around to see her at the door. We aren’t a big fan of noisy pups, so this characteristic was greatly appreciated.

Molly came to us two years after our Hannah passed. But really, she entered our lives when Andy and I were on our honeymoon in England. We were Bed and Breakfasting our way around southern England, this was before Airbnb’s were a thing and stayed one night at an old English manor house. The owner was a kind gentleman with a multitude of liver and white Springer Spaniels. I don’t remember much of our host but his dogs, the memory of their beauty and energy stayed with us. It was by random chance that Andy’s colleague mentioned they were getting a Springer Spaniel puppy. Andy asked about the litter and other puppies and the rest is history. Each day we had Molly I was reminded of our honeymoon and the wonderful time we had in England.

She was beautiful with a coat that was every bit of a show dog, but she was not pretentious and loved to play, and romp in the snow. Her favorite thing to do in the winter was to snowplow on our walks; this usually left her looking like a snowball upon her return because her fur collected the snow as she plowed through it. She also loved sitting out on our patio and being outside.

As she grew older, we discovered she had cancer. When we decided to move to Palisade, the Vet in Denver gave her less than a year to live. Molly out lived the Vets prediction by two years and was able to enjoy the Palisade countryside. By the time we moved to our property, Molly had lost her hearing, so she wasn’t able to roam off leash except in our backyard which was larger than any space we had in Denver. Even as an elderly dog she was a sneaky one and did manage to venture out of the yard and wiggle through the gate to explore the market garden. Of course, this caused great distress on our part because we didn’t know where she was and not being able to hear, she didn’t come when we called. This is when we discovered that although older in her years, she was still a fast little thing and when left to her own exploration she could travel far! After that we secured the gates better and she wonder the perimeter of the back yard sniffing every inch of the area. Sometimes I felt guilty that she couldn’t roam freely like Daisy her younger sister, who can hear and does come when called, but Andy would remind me that this was more yard than Molly has ever had before, and it kept her safe.

Molly’s safety, happiness and quality of life was always important to us as she was like our third child only in dog form. We were told by our new Vet in Palisade in November that Molly’s condition had progressed significantly, she had lost ten pounds since her last visit and was visibly frail. The Vet said she maybe had four more months with us. Five days before Christmas, on the day our girls returned home and my mother with them, Molly’s quality of life took a nosedive and on December 21st, 2024, Molly Moo Cow crossed the Rainbow Bridge. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make, but it was the right one as we could not let her suffer. In the end… our tears are in truth for us as she is now in a better place, no longer in pain, no more cancer and can roam off leash and chase light fairies to her beautiful hearts content.

We love you Molly Moo Cow and you will forever be in our hearts!

Remembering Molly

Ordering Seeds

Pesto Cheesecake