GREAT FALLS — In August 2021, MTN News introduced you to a dog named Mollo. She was rescued by the organization PAWS of Chinook from a dire situation. Her future looked bleak, but that’s not where her story ends.
“We’re so incredibly excited we’ve come to this day,” said Alissa Hewitt of PAWS of Chinook. It's a day PAWS of Chinook wasn't sure would come.
“She is ready for a home,” exclaimed Hewitt.
Mollo's come a long way in just three months. The now two-year-old had been abandoned and left on her own for months.
"When we arrived she was just laying by a fence, she wouldn't look at us, she wouldn't respond. We couldn't tell exactly what the problem was, we could just tell that her neck looked pretty gory,” explained Hewitt.
At the time she was abandoned, she was wearing a puppy-sized collar. As she grew, her skin grew through the collar’s buckle and turned into an infected mass.
“As she was growing, the collar wasn’t growing with her. So her skin decided, ‘Well, we’re just going to keep growing’, and ended up through the buckle and then it started growing its own vascularization and forming what we call a granuloma,” explained Dr. Seth Phillips of Blaine County Vet Service.
Mollo had surgery and spent a month at the vet recovering before being moved to the PAWS of Chinook facility where staff has cared for her daily.
“She was just spayed the other day, and you can see her neck is all but healed up. She just has a little tiny spot we’re working on, but she’s healthy and she’s happy and she’s playing with other dogs. Oh my gosh, she’s playing with other dogs,” Hewitt said.
The 90-pound Great Pyrenees mix is healing physically. PAWS of Chinook staff have been working to help heal the wounds that can't be seen.
"The abandonment, she had puppies that were just given away and she was scared off because she smelled bad. Well, she smelled bad because her neck was rotting off. So, yeah she smelled pretty bad. That does something. It would do something to you, it would do something to me and it does something to them. The fact that she went through that, not only is that unacceptable and not ok, we have to try to repair that. We have repaired parts of that, but there are other parts that Mollo is going to have with her forever,” Hewitt explained.
Mollo is getting lots of love, some special treats, and is ready for her next chapter.
Hewitt said because of the life Mollo has lived, finding the right new home for her might take some time. PAWS of Chinook want to do right by her.
“She is very smart, very smart, very stealthy for a giant polar bear that she is, she is extremely stealthy. We want to make sure whoever is interested in her understands that,” explained Hewitt.
Mollo enjoys her first 'happy meal' (video):
PAWS of Chinook is taking applications now for Mollo's new home. Hewitt said the ideal place for Mollo will be somewhere with some land where she can roam, guard and spend lots of time outside. Hewitt said whoever is interested in adopting Mollo would need to be prepared to spend time at the shelter bonding with her before taking her home.
“It’s going to take time for the right person to create that bond,” Hewitt said.
Mollo is microchipped, spayed, and up to date on all of her vaccinations.
“That’s going to be one very special family that gets to spend their lives with this girl. She blows us away, she really does,” Hewitt said.
If you're interested in adopting her, contact PAWS of Chinook at pawsofchinook@gmail.com
