In astrology Pisces is the water sign.  Karen and Stephen’s dog, Molly, was born under this sign and exhibits many of its wonderful character traits.

A Pisces is known for their easy going compassionate nature, their desire to cater to and help others, and their gentle nature that easily wins people’s affections.  This is Molly to a “T”.

They are known for the affiliation with water sports, swimming and feeling at one in the water.
This is where Molly’s astrology chart has a glitch!  She hates the water!

“When we go for a walk,” said Stephen, “Molly might walk to the water’s edge but she never ventures in.”

“Even at waterfront parks,” adds Karen, “with other dogs running, legs and fur flying in wild abandonment, into the water, Molly is not impressed.  She is not like Mary Ellen’s famous swimming cats!  I am going to show Molly their ‘Must Love Cats’ segment on Animal Planet TV for swimming tips! Paws-ibly Molly will then muster up the courage to go swimming.  I mean if  cats can do it...surely her ego can’t be outdone by that!

Molly has an odd behavior that works in our favor!  She loves having her teeth brushed!  We started brushing her teeth as a puppy for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums, saving us money in veterinarian bills as she ages! 

At bedtime Molly first scampers downstairs to say ‘good night’ to our son, then when she comes back up and hears me getting out her tooth brush she jumps up on the chair and excitedly waits!  She runs from water to swim, but she sits with eager anticipation for her teeth brushing!  Go figure!  We use an unflavored pet tooth paste and tarter control . . . which we just realized is a chemical concoction so we are going to experiment making our own healthy one.”

Stephen and Karen wanted a medium-sized hypoallergenic dog for companionship. The new expensive “mutt” breed of 1/4 miniature Australian Shepherd and 3/4 Standard Poodle created the designer Ozzie Doodle which they named Molly Doodle Wong.

“I have never met such a well mannered dog,” admits Karen. “We adopted Miss Manners at 8-weeks-old, and she has never once chewed anything that she was not supposed to!  A puppy book said to purr-chase as many chew toys as paws-ible, so we did, giving her the opportunity to chose to chew on them and not our home or shoes.  My sister’s dog chewed the dry wall off her walls and all the chair legs!

Molly never takes anything without permission.  And she doesn’t beg for food.  She won’t touch food or her toys on the coffee table.  Instead she asks for them.  It’s like she’s attended a first class finishing school for canines.

Molly is not fashion conscious about her rain wear, but she is discerning in other ways.  She hates rats!  If she sees one, she goes ball-istic.  The odd thing is that she knows the difference between rats and squirrels and won’t bark at squirrels.

Molly is a funny character!  When I am ‘play chasing’ her, she hops up onto Stephen’s lap with her ‘Save me Dad’ expression.  She’s also made friends with our new mail lady, Jen.  Jen is brilliant.  She carries dog biscuits with her and she gave one to Molly on her first day on the job.  Just like Molly’s astrology chart says she ‘...easily wins people affections.’  Now Jen ‘mails’ a dog biscuit, every second day, in with our mail to Molly.  It is no wonder that Jen is Molly’s new best friend.  Molly still barks at the male mailman demanding that he, too, hand out biscuits!”

“Our area receives 150" of rain a year,” explains Karen, “so rain gear is important to everyone, even dogs!  Because you have to walk a dog rain or shine, and they can’t carry an umbrella, and won’t keep on a rain hat, I sewed Molly a raincoat and booties to keep her from becoming water logged.

I made the rain coat from a pattern off another dog coat and a Gor-Tex jacket that I bought at a thrift store.  I used the jacket’s collar as her collar, chopped off the jacket’s sleeves, and adjusted the coat’s length to fit Molly and keep her dry.

The first booties I made were a wet flop!  The water repellent fabric wasn’t and the boots slid off her feet.  My second booties’ attempt was met with disdain.  Molly kept trying to flick them off her feet and walked like a kid with wet diapers. Once outside when she became sidetracked and all went well.

She also needs winter boots as the wet snow balls up on her feet and we have to thaw her snowball-toes out in the tub once home. The first pair of snow boots I made were from a Utube pattern.  Their suede bottoms work in the snow, the snow sticks to the polar fleece.  They worked so well that I made some extras for the neighbor’s dogs.”
 
A must see happy video!  People should be more like animals!

Mary Ellen's Silver Persians swam their way into readers and viewer's hearts! They have appeared in International magazines and newspapers around the world. (France, England, Canada, China, Germany, USA, etc.)

Also, several National and International TV shows featured the swimming felines teaching pet-water-safety.