Even more than the money, Allen Brown said, Thursday’s greatest gift was peace of mind. Once Molly was out of surgery, he said, everything seemed more promising. Alicia Brown, he said, finally slept. And the Browns’ other four dogs, including fellow search-and-rescue K-9 Hope, seemed to realize that Molly was going to be OK.

“Before, when Molly would lay in bed with us, Alicia would just listen to her breath; today, (Alicia) is a world better,” he said. “And Hope has just been moping around the house, but when the hospital called and said (Molly) was out of surgery, she was sitting right there with her tongue hanging out and her tail wagging. Alicia swears that she understands and was like, ‘When is she comin’ home?’”

Donations for Molly

A fund-raising account under the name Search Dog Molly Fund is open at Southwest Missouri Bank at 32nd Street and Indiana Avenue.

Chatters at 1010 S. Madison St. in Webb City is selling $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win free lunch once a week for a year. The raffle tickets are available through May 29, and the drawing is May 30. All the proceeds will go toward Molly’s treatment costs.