#lassiedogbreed

I graduated high school in Gainesville, FL in 1993. I remember the school janitor as if I knew him my entire life. His name was Gerald and he owned the most adorable Rough Collie.

In all honesty, I wasn’t much of a “dog person” back then. Don’t get me wrong, I liked dogs, I just wasn’t as passionate about them as most of the people I knew.

I suppose I was just selfish. I liked the idea of owning a dog, but I have always understood how much responsibility it is. I didn’t want to be one of those people who neglected their dogs.

Anyway, back to Gerald the high school janitor. Gerald was a kind man and was actually really good at cleaning. In fact, I guess you could say he inspired me to be the thorough cleaner I am today.

I first met his dog when I was made to go to summer school. On occasion, he would bring Molly with him on short days. He would introduce her to everyone as Molly, the amazing Rough Collie.

Molly was extremely intelligent. It was almost as if the people who trained Lassie trained her. Of course that’s not the case, but her trainers did an excellent job. Also, Collies tend to be very smart. They were after all, bred to herd other animals.

I remember hearing the sad news about Gerald passing away. Poor Molly must have been heartbroken. The two were inseparable. He died of heart failure.

Gerald’s family was poor and they couldn’t afford a funeral so the school actually sponsored a fundraising event to help cover the cost of expenses.

To help with the fundraiser, the family made t-shirts of Molly and sold them at the event. It was incredible - they sold so many shirts. People ordered them for family members all around the United States. Molly became an icon. Of course she wasn’t as popular as Lassie, but she got a lot of people excited about Rough Collies.