I have always been a dog lover but did not own one due to my work schedule and not being home most of the time. A year ago, for a variety of reasons, I decided to take early retirement. Although quite the adjustment, it gave me the opportunity to finally look at getting a dog to share my life with. A good friend of mine, Gary Nutter, is with Westie Rescue of New England Inc. a 501c3 nonprofit organization of all volunteers that dedicate their time to saving fostering and placing Westies into their new loving forever homes

I called Gary and told him I was interested in adopting a rescue if we were a good fit. Coincidently Gary had just taken in a little dog from S. Carolina that was about to be put down because no one wanted her. She was not a Westie but, just like my friend Gary, he could not let her be put down. I asked him to send me pictures and when I looked at them I thought she might be a Chihuahua. Given the "reputation" of this breed I did not think we would be a good fit.

Gary suggested I come meet her anyway and, given that we had not seen each other in a while, I agreed. This was a day that will stay in my memory forever. There was an instant connection and I fell in love with her immediately! After visiting for a couple of hours I asked Gary if I could "take her home today" to which he said "of course!" Gary had been calling her Princess but I decided her name would be Molly. Not sure why but it just fit.

Once home Molly was a bit skittish and not overly friendly. I took her to the vet right away for her shots and he said she was timid and needed some time to adjust. All it took was love and understanding. I have four grandchildren all boys ages 10, 8, 6 and 4. When I told them about Molly they could not wait to meet her. Well, the first few times they came over Molly would hide behind the couch. Over time that began to change and now Molly loves them as much as they love her.

I had to be away for a week and Molly spent the time with my son, daughter-in-law and the grandchildren at their house. They had so much fun together they have asked for Molly to spend the week-end with them from time to time. The bond they have is truly amazing! At Molly's last vet appointment he commented on what a happy dog she is. When I told the boys about A-DOG the two oldest boys asked if they could write a story about Molly. Here are their stories:

When Molly Escaped

by JT age 10

April 2014

5:00 pm at Petco. How did I get in this mess? Flashback to 3:45 pm, we were peacefully eating our dinner. Well, it was anything but peaceful for Molly, in fact we were grabbing a quick bite while she was in the car. At 4:00 pm we went to Petco. We were going to get a beta fish but I was really planning on convincing my Mom to get a hamster. 

Even though you could let your dog into the store, Molly wasn't too fond of that policy. At 5:00 pm I heard my dad ask "Where's Molly?"  Molly must've wiggled out of her leash!  As we turned around, Molly was out of the automatic door and the parking lot.  As she approached route 1 she stopped at our car. YAY! We all shouted.

That's when Molly escaped.

When Molly tree'd a Raccoon

by Trent, age 8

April 2014

Woke up at 7:00. I watch a bit of tv in my moms bed. My mom says "someone take Molly out"  because she had to go peepee and she also did yesterday, the day before that, and I think she peed on the rug the day before that!

I walked downstairs with her and got my coat. She went dashing zip zeem zoom and she was barking at the trees. I thought she was crazy but I was wrong! I saw a oversized 'coon coming by! I was scared to death! It stared at me straight in the eye. I said "bye bye Molly, I'm going in!"  I ran upstairs and said "DAD! There's a big fat raccoon!" He ran to get Molly and the raccoon was gone!

Molly saved the day! And that's all I have to say about that.

by A-DOG member Eileen O'Shea and her grandsons, JT and Trent.  

When Arlington moms Dagmar Jacisinova and Jennifer Goebel were looking for reading material for their four middle school and elementary school-aged boys, they kept finding great books...for girls.

Disappointed, they took matters into their own hands and decided to write a book for boys, inspired by their sons' love of soccer.

The two neighbors have four soccer-playing sons between them, and have logged countless hours and hundreds of miles taking their kids to soccer games around Massachusetts over the last 10 years. All four boys started playing at age 5 with the Arlington Soccer Club, and have since played on various town, select, Maple, MASC and high school soccer teams.

As with most books, the authors took experiences from their own lives. Dagmar is the mother of twin boys, who are, not coincidentally, the two main characters in the book. Jennifer's dog, Duke, also makes an appearance in the story. 

After two years and five drafts, Tournament the story of an incredibly high-stakes soccer tournament set in post-nuclear 2044, was published and sent into the world. While marketing the book has been a challenge for the two authors, who each have full-time jobs of their own, the book has received praise from middle school teachers and kids, and they are working on a sequel.

The book is available on Amazon*, as well as at the Book Rack in Arlington and the Ottoson School Library. 

Photos: (Left) Jennifer with Ruby (helpfully drooling on laptop) and Duke, giving his critique ("not enough squirrels"). (Right) Dagmar with her beloved Yoyo, the most wonderful, loving dog, who is now chasing tennis balls in heaven.

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The American Cancer Society's signature event Relay For Life happens in Arlington each year. Last year, Arlington held its first Bark For Life, a special event for the canine participants who are affected by this disease. Some dogs are affected themselves, others are canine caregivers to their humans. The second annual Bark For Life was held on May 10 this year and raised over $800 through 16 dogs.

The money raised through Bark For Life goes to the American Cancer Society for research as well as programs. To learn more about where the money goes, visit this website. 

Join us for the 3^rd Bark For Life in 2015. The anticipated date is Saturday, May 9 at the Arlington Reservoir on Lowell Street. Any questions can be directed to Dee Savioli at [email protected].