Meet Molly the Rescue Dog and Cat Detective

Written and verified by the lawyer Francisco María García

Last update: 22 December, 2022

Molly is a Cocker Spaniel and former rescue dog who has spent the last few years helping to find lost and stolen cats. This little dog was going through a bit of a rough patch, until she was adopted by Colin Butcher. Her owners had abandoned her, and she lived in several temporary homes before she came to Colin.

Molly the rescue dog and cat detective

Colin Butcher is a private detective in England. He has worked in the field for over 20 years now. But there was one thing he had never been successful with: cat rescue. This is because they often hide in high-up and hard-to-reach places. He says that the moment they hear motion outside their hiding place, they’ll simply run away.

This led Colin to start thinking about adopting a dog that could help him with his job. He finally decided to go for it in 2016. The moment he saw Molly, she looked back at him and he felt an immediate connection. He knew she was the dog for him.

Molly spent 9 months training hard to be a police rescue dog. This is how she learned to pick out scents and track a cat with her nose. Molly has an interesting cat rescue technique, too. Once she finds them, she’ll lay down on the floor to make sure they don’t get scared and run away yet again.

Molly’s career begins

Here’s the story of Molly’s first rescue. They had a case with a small cat that had been lost for a good while. Where was it in the end? Hiding in a barn’s ceiling. The cat’s owners were absolutely amazed by how efficient Molly was. Ever since then, Molly has helped to rescue lost cats along with her human sidekick.

Part of what has made little Molly such a sensation is that she’s the first, and still the only, dog that does this. Her success rate and her passion for her work have continued to amaze their customers. They always give glowing reviews about her efficiency.

Like any specialist, Molly also needs the right gear. Her owner Colin has bought her the perfect little boots. She needs them because there are some wilderness areas where she could hurt her paws.

Other examples of animal rescue

Molly isn’t the only example of animals helping each other.

A hero in Turkey

In 2010, a heroic cat in Turkey started to massage a cat that had been run over to keep it awake and alive. Some passing tourists saw what was happening and immediately notified the authorities, who came to help. They say that if it hadn’t been for that heroic cat, the other would have died unnoticed.

Dana the golden

Dana is the name of a Golden Retriever that saved her Poodle friend Issie. There was an earthquake and Issie ran away, but ended up getting lost in the city of Arauco. Dana went out looking for hours until she found her, and then brought her home.

A nameless hero

In the Rosa neighborhood of Temuco, Chile, a stray dog had to be very brave after a fire broke out in an abandoned building. Before the firefighters had arrived, she had managed to pull out each and every one of her puppies. From there, they got the help they needed from the human teams.

Leo the Jack Russell

Molly might be the first dog to work as a cat detective, but she’s not the first to rescue cats. Leo, a Jack Russell Terrier from Australia, saved some kittens that couldn’t get out of their home in a fire. He stayed behind to protect them from the fire while everyone else got out.

Luckily, the firefighters were able to rescue them and keep them alive. Leo had some minor burns and needed an oxygen mask because of all the smoke that had gotten into his lungs.

Tuna the social media star

Tuna is a dog whose owners left her on the street when she was a puppy. Luckily, a dog named Dasher rescued her. She has since become super famous on social networks like Instagram. She might not directly rescue animals, but she helps raise funds through events and social networks.

All the money Tuna raises this way goes to an animal rescue foundation. This means she’s helping to save dogs and other animals in the same situation as she once was.