Alec and Molly
Loran G Glasco Jr
Problem Solving and Theory
April 3rd, 2016
Mr Ryan Cornell

Alec and Molly
As an adult who has been out of high school for a number of years, going back to college presents a number of challenges for me. I am a single dad with a son who has autism. Alec is high functioning, but he still has special needs. I suffered a brain injury a number of years ago which adds its own set of challenges to completing my college career. In spite of these challenges, I refuse to give up. I am doing everything in my power to work towards completing my college degree.
One solution I came up with to help my son is to get a dog. The Basenji is considered to be one of man’s oldest dog breeds. There happens to be something else very special about them. Basenjis are very smart and if there is a way to escape, they will find it and go exploring all on their own. The Basenji has been compared to an Autistic Child or adult by their manners because they also have the curiosity of a cat and someone with Autism. The best part is they do not smell at all; they are considered to be hypoallergenic because they do not smell unless you consider smelling like a Frito a smell. Yes, I said a Frito because they do smell like one.
The Basenji does not bark, so they are considered to be a bark-less dog and the only bark-less dog breeds in the world. With a history going back to 3500 BC, if you have looked at the hieroglyphics of the pyramids, you will see them in those pictures. There are many books and even a movie made in 1950s Goodbye My Lady about a Basenji. The movie tells and shows a lot about how smart and cunning they are along with being very emotional, which happened to be a very good thing for my son and me.
Alec started to walk right around his second birthday, which was around 2008. At that time, we had a beagle and her name was Princess and one of her puppies that was a beagle and border collie mix was named Delco. When I would go out back to cook on the grill, Alec had to be right there with me. I would tell him no but he had to be with me; he figured out how to unlock the door so that he could go outside with me.
You see, when Alec was outside with me, Princes would knock Alec down and love on him and would listen when I told her to stop and stay away. Delco on the other hand was not like his mom. He would knock Alec down and I would get him off Alec and no sooner was Alec back on his feet, Delco would knock him down all over again.
We did lose them a few years later due to the fact we had not kept their shot record up. The veterinarian we used did not have proof of those shots and Delco got a hold of a bat, yes, the bat that flies around at night. When I finally figured out what he kept barking at all night, I smashed the bat’s head in with a flash light.
I called animal control and they came, got the bat and both dogs, and told me that as long as the bat does not test positive for Rabies, we are good to keep the dogs. We had a 50/50 chance of whether or not they could test the bat because I had smashed its head the night before. The test came back inconclusive, so we had to give the dogs up, which made Alec very happy and sad at the same time. He did not have to worry about them knocking him down any longer, so that meant he could go out back with dad to cook. All of this happened in 2010.
I knew of a breed of dogs that he would not be scared of at all, which was the Basenji breed. You may ask why; it is very simple: the Basenji does not bar. This breed keeps itself very clean like a cat would and is very protective of one or two people in the house. I also knew, from my own personal experience when I was Alec’s age, that not only would he trust this breed but they would protect him with everything they have.
I belong to a rescue group on Facebook for the Basenji and in 2014 someone in the group found a Basenji listed on Caig’s list that I did not try to buy. What I did do was have long talks with Alec about them and let him see their pictures online and tell him all that I could about them.
A few months later, another one showed up and I procceded to try and buy a female Basenji. The owner finally contacted me and we worked out a price for her. That very next day Alec and myself went to Greensboro, North Carolina to buy her and bring her home.
We got the house to pay for Molly, as she had been named, and I put her inside the crate my dad let me borrow. Alec did not start to cry or anything with the Basenji, but when Alec was within 20 feet of any other dog, he would scream, shout, and climb up my back, anything he could do to get away from the dog.
Not this time though; he was perfectly calm and as we drove away from the house, Alec asked, “Daddy. You’re positive she will not hurt me and she is my dog, mommy or you will not take her away from me and rename her at all?” I told him, “Yes, I am very positive on all of that, Alec.”
We both tried to rename her Zandra. I realized very soon that was not going to work. I asked Alec if we can use the name from her paper work. She was a full-blooded female Basenji, so we had papers so she could be registered for him under his name.
Alec agreed to the name Molly Alexzandra Glasco. I stopped at a rest area on our way home, took her out, and asked him to just hold her leash. He said, “Ok, I will” while I put her crate back in the front seat of the car. I walked over and said I will take her now and to my surprise he said, “NO! Molly is mine and I like her.” That put a smile on my face.
I took pictures of this and we got back in the car and drove home. We went to Pet Smart and bought her a new harness and retractable leash. Then we went to the house and Alec said, “Daddy, let’s take her for a walk.” This too amazed me because in our new neighborhood, there had a lot of dogs and Alec was not having any of that walking.
That night, he did, however, and a neighbor had a dog get loose and we found the dog and took her back home. Alec got upset but as long as he was behind his dog, he was ok. Alec was calm and not overly excited which I knew was a good thing. This meant that he trusted her to a point. We took the dog to its owner’s home and I kept his dog and the other with me.
Alec went and knocked on the door and the other dog started to get close to him while he walked back towards me. I, in turn, let Molly have slack in her leash and she went right up to the other dog pushed him away when he came back towards Alec. She sensed how he was scared and nipped at the other dog’s neck and that dog back away.
That night I put Alec to bed and Molly got into the bed with him on top of his covers and stayed there for a few hours then she came and got into bed with my wife and me. Molly has been a Godsend for me because when she and Alec are around each other and she knows if he is having a bad or rough day, she does not leave his side. They are able to keep each other out of trouble for the most part.
If Alec is having a rough night, she sleeps with him until he calms down and if he does not, then she does not leave his side. Whenever he is not in the car, she sits right in his car seat or his spot in the car and does not move. Molly does the same thing at home now that my wife and I are split up and Alec lives with his mother. Molly sits and lays on the couch where Alec would normally sit. She misses him just like he misses her.
As a direct result of getting this Basenji named Molly, I have some peace of mind regarding Alec and his care. Molly also helps with my own personal anxiety and depression issues. With Molly in our home, I am able to focus on my education and do what needs to be done as a single dad with a special needs son.