Molly Rose is a bird hunting dog, a two-year-old English Cocker Spaniel. Her family—human mom Kris Schaible, her husband and kids—saved up for three years to buy a hunting dog as perfect as Molly. Hunting came naturally to her, but she was also the Schaible’s best friend and companion. It was a match made in heaven.
Then one night when she was just 10 months old, she went outside to go potty before bed. When she came back, Kris knew there was something wrong with her eye. She wouldn’t open it.
After a long night full of driving and multiple emergency vets, it was determined that Molly Rose had a “foreign object” so deep in her eye they could hardly see it. An animal eye surgeon told them she might lose her eye. They needed to operate right away.
Kris remembers thinking, “She’s 10 months old. We saved up for three years to buy a hunting dog—is she gonna be able to hunt with one eye?”
And Molly was more than just a hunting dog. She’s family. “She’s our pet, our companion, our shadow. She’s our buddy.”
Molly’s family acted just quickly enough. They saved her eye, and after months of recovery, determined she would be able to hunt again. But they had to protect her eyes. Eye injuries are among the most common in active, outdoor dogs. Molly couldn't afford another one.
Enter Rex Specs. Kris had heard of other dog goggles, but Rex Specs’ dog goggles seemed to offer the best field of vision for Molly’s active career. Because Molly’s a hunting dog, Kris ordered her an orange pair.
Training Molly to wear her Rex Specs was a breeze. First, she tried them on without the lenses. Molly didn’t love them.
“She was like, ‘I totally hate you take these off,” Kris laughed. So Kris gave Molly a treat and took them off. It was a Wednesday.
TRAIN YOUR DOG TO WEAR REX SPECS
By Friday, Kris and her husband decided to take Molly hunting. Just for a bit, they said, to see if she’d like the goggles any more in action.
She did. “She knew what hunting meant,” Kris said. “She hunted all day with the goggles on.”
Now, Kris swears that Molly is the “hardest hunting dog in the circle”—and it’s because of her goggles. “We all believe it’s because she knows her eyes are protected,” Kris said. “She will dive through brush, dive into cover, and go where other dogs won’t. She constantly keeps her head to the ground and in the grass.”
The proof is in the lenses. Kris has to replaces the lenses on Molly’s Rex Specs multiple time a season because they get so scratched up—not a testament to their quality, Kris says, but to how hard Molly works in them.
VIEW REX SPECS REPLACEMENT LENSES
“When you see the damage done to the lenses, you’re like, holy cow, that’s stuff that would be going across her face,” Kris sad. “it’s pretty impressive when you see that.”
Before Molly’s accident, Kris didn’t even know dog goggles were a thing. Now, she’d never hunt without them.
“A whole world opens up to you.”
Rex Specs saved Molly Rose. They’ve protected her eyes from further damage, but most importantly, they’ve saved her career. A hunting Molly is a happy Molly, and a happy Molly is everyone’s best friend.
“Molly is a pet first and foremost,” Kris said. “She’s the love of our lives.”