Molly The ‘escape Artist’ Finds Her Forever Home

Molly, once a restless stray, now waits eagerly for Deanna’s return every day. (Deanna Jeyaratnam pic)

SUBANG JAYA: Molly wasn’t the kind of dog who would sit when instructed. In fact, if the gate was open, she’d be gone in a flash.

“At first, she was very aggressive – not in a biting way, but she just wouldn’t listen to us,” said Deanna Jeyaratnam, 22, recalling the early days of adopting her third dog.

But over time, something changed. And it all started with walks in the neighbourhood.

Molly wasn’t a stray in the traditional sense. She was brought to a nearby vet, where Deanna’s father found her. The vet was the one who convinced the family to take her in, and so, in 2016, Molly became part of their home.

“She was already full-sized when we adopted her. We assumed she was between one and three years old.”

At first, Molly’s instinct was to escape. Being a former stray, the freedom of the outdoors was all she knew.

“She would try to run out all the time,” Deanna, a psychological science and business degree student, remembered.

Walking her was no easy feat either. “She’s strong! She’d pull the leash and insist we walk in her direction instead of the other way around.”

But as the family made daily walks a routine, something softened in Molly. “It really helped her realise that we loved her. She got more attached to us and stopped running away.” These days, even if the gate is left open, Molly stays put. She’s found her place. She listens. She trusts.

“It didn’t happen overnight. It took years.” And not just with Deanna – Molly has warmed up to the whole family, including someone she never expected: Deanna’s grandfather.

“My grandpa doesn’t like dogs,” she said matter-of-factly. It was a long-standing rule in the family – no dogs in the house.

Yet, years after Molly’s arrival, something surprising happened. “I dared my grandpa to take her for a walk,” Deanna recalled with a grin.

“At first, Molly was trying to pull him in all directions. Seeing my grandpa, in workout clothes, being dragged around – it was hilarious!”

But what stuck with her most wasn’t the comedy of the moment. “He did it. He actually walked her. And for someone who never liked dogs, that was huge.”

Molly, it seems, has a way of winning people over. She’s also got a knack for teamwork – especially when food is involved.

One infamous incident involved a papaya, two cats, and three dogs in a collaborative effort that Deanna now finds amusing (but definitely didn’t at the time).

“The cats knocked the papaya off the counter, and all the pets joined in for a feast,” she says, laughing. “We only found out later – by the red stains on their mouths. That’s how we knew who the greediest ones were!”

Despite spending most of her time outside, Molly remains Deanna’s most loyal companion.

“She’s always the first animal I see when I go home,” Deanna says. “No matter what, she will always come up to me, smell me, say hi.” That daily greeting, full of excitement and affection, is often the highlight of Deanna’s day.

“Dogs don’t hold grudges. That’s the most heartwarming part about animals,” Deanna reflected. “No matter what, Molly is always happy to see me.”