Molly Makes It Home

NORTHFIELD — Since April, Lee and Bill Balkam advertised in The Daily Sun seeking help in finding "Molly", their straying sheltie, until last week, when the ad read "Molly's Been Found!" A handful of people — one weeping tears of joy — who had seen the ads and followed the saga, called the paper hoping to hear the story of Molly's odyssey.

As Lee Balkam told it yesterday, Molly's meandering began on April 7 with a visit to the Franklin Veterinary Clinic, where she had a series of shots. "We left the vet's after she had her shots and as I was loading her into the van, I let her off her leash and she bolted out of the car," Lee said. Balkam chased Molly to no avail.

After a week passed with no sign of Molly, Balkam began advertising, placing a display ad pleading for help above a picture of Molly and two telephone numbers at least once a week and a classified ad under "lost" virtually daily. Meanwhile, Bill and Lee searched high and low. "We looked every day and every night for hours," she said.

Balkam heard only that Molly was seen in a sandpit in Franklin and little else during April, May and June, when her ads said only that Molly was last seen in the Franklin area. But, early in July residents of Perkins Road in Sanbornton called to report spotting a black and white sheltie. Balkam said that while Molly was on the run another black and white sheltie — this one with a red harness — was also on the loose in Sanbornton. "That caused some confusion, but we told people Molly didn't have a harness," Balkam said.

Soon residents of Cram Road, which runs northwest through a wooded area between Perkins Road and Hunkins Pond Road in Sanbornton, began reporting regular sightings of Molly. "We went out there," Balkam said, "and even saw her one night."

Meanwhile, a woman with eight shelties who had seen the many advertisements called to offer one of her dogs, but Balkam declined, never giving up hope of recovering Molly.

One of the residents of Cram Road, Tom Worster, began leaving food for Molly, who then came to his home every night around 8:30 p.m. Although Molly ate, she remained nervous and skittish, avoiding all Worster's efforts to tempt her within reach. Balkam said that each night he moved the food closer to the garage, where he had attached a rope to the door so he could close it from a distance. Ultimately he placed the food inside the garage and, when Molly took the bait, sprang the trap.

After just two days short of 14 weeks living rough, Molly came home. "We tried to give the Worsters a reward," Balkam said, "but they refused. I want to tell the story because we need to let everyone who helped know how grateful we are for they did for us and Molly. Even now we are getting calls to say how happy people are she is home."Balkam said that "your ads are what really found her."

"We have three Austrialian shepherds and three other shelties," Balkam said, "but, we weren't going to lose Molly."