Competition

Early on in her life, Molly got very used to lots of attention.

When she was still too small to walk on a leash, I'd carry her around in the crook of my arm. Without fail, upon someone sighting her, there would be this high-pitched "Ooooh, look at the cute little dog!" Then the people making that noise would approach and ask if they could pet her.

Molly came to recognize that sound, and, upon hearing it, would set herself up for some sweet, sweet cuddly interaction with an endless series of admirers. 

However, it is an important life lesson for all of us that we are not the apple of everyone's eye.

Shortly after we got Molly, my mother, who had just lost the last of the three dachshunds she'd had for many years, got another puppy, whom she called Schatzi.  

Schatzi was a miniature dachshund with the then-rare (but now insanely common) dapple coat. She was born the day, September 30, we picked Molly up from the breeders. 

Mom would bring Schatzi with her when she and my sister, travelling in from Trenton, would drop by for lunch before attending a matinee at a downtown Toronto theatre. 

While my mother and sister were out at the show, if the weather was nice, Bruce and I would take the dogs for a walk and run some errands. We'd take turns waiting outside with the dogs while the other went into a shop.

On one cool, pleasant summer's day many years ago, it was my turn to stand outside. Molly and Schatzi were well-behaved on their leashes on the sidewalk next to me, sitting patiently, waiting for things to get interesting again.

Then there was that "ooooh" sound. I looked up and saw a young man smiling at me. "May I say hello to your dog?" he asked. "Sure," I said, assuming he meant Molly. 

He bent right over and picked Schatzi up. He squeezed her softly and kissed her on the side of her head. He explained he was visiting from San Francisco, that he had a dog like Schatzi back at home, hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks and missed her terribly. "She's just like her," he said, and I could feel his fondness for both the dog he missed and the one he held in his hands. 

He gave Schatzi one more hug, thanked me, and put her gently back down on the sidewalk. He acted as if he hadn't even seen Molly.

Molly was every inch the affronted prom queen whose date has just asked to dance with the least popular girl at school. It's hard to think that you'd even need to teach a dog about humility, but Molly got a lesson that day.

Molly and Schatzi Christmas 1995: Puppies, Rivals

Molly's hard lesson in not always being the centre of attention was not the only peril she faced. You can read more about that here.