A new beginning

It's been a little over a month since our sweet Molly left us, and I have been mulling the decision of getting a new puppy for the last couple of weeks. I wasn't sure if we were ready until this week. I had been scouring Craigslist and shelter websites for a puppy that might fit our desires and our lifestyle. We still wanted a similar breed, but we didn't want the new puppy to look too much like Molly.

On Saturday we found our new baby. Jon drove a little over an hour to pick her up from a woman who had a total of eight Great Pyrenees/Dalmation mix puppies that she was giving away.

While she is a bit younger than what we had expected (she's only 6 weeks old), she's adorable and we love her already. We've been trying to come up with a name and decided to go with 'Millie'. In a way it is our tribute to Molly, since the names are so similar.

It has been a rough few days with Millie as she has little control over her bladder and bowels. She wakes up about every hour and a half during the night to go out, but we have had relatively few accidents, probably because Jon and I have been watching her like a hawk.

She sleeps most of the day, maybe playing a total of 2 hours. But she's coming out of her shell as she becomes more comfortable with us. She's much less timid than Molly was. She's feisty but also loves to cuddle.

The first day we got her, I questioned the decision a bit, wondering if we truly were ready. And part of me felt sadness, as though the new puppy meant letting go of Molly for good. I felt a bit guilty, wanting this puppy and caring for her so soon after our loss. But, as we have had a few days with her, I have realized that we are moving on, but we will never 'let go' of Molly. She will always be with us in our hearts and our memories. I still get choked up writing and thinking about Molly, and I still miss her terribly when she makes her way into my thoughts. Millie will not replace Molly, but she will fill a void in our lives that has been empty for the last month, which will help in our journey of healing.