Molly
Dachshund/Pug Cross
Inducted October 1998
Owned by Tracy and Diane Norrell
Nominated by Dr. Tim Eberhart
Dr. Tim Eberhart has seen a lot of dogs during his nine years of practice, but none quite like his patient Molly. The dachshund-pug cross owned by Tracy and Diane Norrell of Canton is something special.
Dr. Eberhart explains: “Molly has one of the busiest social calendars of any dog and all of the engagements are charity appearances. Each week, the Norrell’s take Molly to nursing homes in Canton and Tyler and to hospitals in Tyler to entertain the severely challenged patients with chronic- to terminal illnesses. She brings smiles to patients who have not smiled in many weeks.”
One of the most remarkable things about Molly is her love of being handled by people, even strangers who are rough with her. Dr. Eberhart says, “Many of the people Molly visits are less than gentle to her and a few have even caused some pain to her, but she has never growled or snapped at them. She is always friendly and entertaining.”
Dr. Eberhart says Molly is one of the most intelligent dogs he’s ever met. Molly and her owners have at least fifty tricks that they incorporate into skits to cheer people up on their visits. For instance, Molly will get a tissue paper for someone who cries. Another unusual trick is if she is given a number between 1-9, she will bark that number of times.
“Some of the tricks she does are unbelievable,” Dr. Eberhart says. “She’s never been trained by anyone other than her owners. One can tell she gets great pleasure out of the routines.”
