All true animal lovers love their pets with all their hearts. Our furry friends are not just our companions, they’re family. We each think our four-legged friend is just the best furry buddy ever. For those who understand that unique and unconditional love, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not understand, no explanation will ever suffice.
Holly Jolly at Ana Ruby Falls October 2010
My eight-year-old Golden retriever Holly Jolly is no exception to that rule. On December 20th, 2006, the day before the joyful day I went to the airport cargo pickup to take my new furry friend to her forever home—my home—I was agonizing over what to name her. My former furry friend had a great name: Sadie Milady, an American Eskimo who lived 16 happy, love-filled years with me from 1990 until 2006, when she finally tuckered out for good and went to Rainbow Bridge to wait for me to rejoin her when I finished my journey here on this plane. I wanted my new friend to have a special, unforgettable name as well. But I was clueless; my mind was a complete blank, and I had no idea what to name her. Maybe it would come to me after we met for the first time.
Holly Jolly the Christmas puppy January 2007 I guess I had a little help with that conundrum from some higher power, because I jolted wide awake at 3 a.m. the next morning with the classic Burl Ives song Holly Jolly Christmas playing in my head as loud as church bells ringing. "Eureka and voila!" I thought. "Of course that’s her name!" It could be no other. My dilemma was solved as if a chorus of angels had sung the answer in my ears.
And boy, did Holly Jolly quickly live up to her name! As a puppy, she was so irresistibly cute—like a little stuffed, smiling teddy bear—and so sweet that it made my chest ache. About a year into her puppy training, I started noticing something extraordinary about her: she was exceptionally good with both people and dogs, young or old. Holly had a way of making folks fall in love with her instantly, and still does, and she could convince even the most curmudgeonly and temperamental dogs to like her in mere moments. It’s a special magic, I believe, and it occurred to me that it was no wonder "dog" is "God" spelled backward. Dogs are a gift from above, intended to make us see life through the eyes of innocence and pure joy, and learn how to share a little piece of that magic with others in our lives. I believe Holly’s motto and creed is to "live life with wind-in-fur."
Holly Jolly Claus and SuperSanta December 2011
Watch Holly Jolly play in the snow January 2014 on YouTube!
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At about that time, I started hearing about "Therapy Dogs," and I did some research on it. I realized Holly was the perfect candidate to be a professional Therapy Dog, and wanted to share her unique love and joie de vivre with others. If a dog can truly have a purpose, I believe that is Holly’s purpose. So I looked into some Therapy Dog organizations, and started training Holly to be one. By the time she was three-and-a-half years old, Holly had passed her Canine Good Citizen test—a rigorous behavioral and obedience test administrated by the American Kennel Club—and received her official AKC approved CGC certificate. After much more intense training and three attempts—and failures—to pass the rigorous Therapy Dog tests, Holly and I finally passed with flying colors, and she officially became a professional therapy dog with Therapy Dogs, Incorporated. We were thrilled, and couldn’t wait to share her unique love with others who needed it.
Holly Jolly's Advanced Training Gradjeeashun Pikcher 2008
A year later, we were regularly involved in two local library-sponsored R.E.A.D. programs (Reading Education Assistance Dogs), and visiting kids in two libraries for "Doggie Tales" and "Read to Rover" three Saturdays a month. The kids read to the dogs, pet them, and learn how to properly approach unfamiliar dogs as well as improve their reading comprehension skills (the kids' reading skills, not the dogs', lol). Holly and I still participate in those two programs to this day. We also visit some hospices and retirement homes, including some patients confined to the Alzheimer’s units, and that’s how I got the inspiration to write Old Coot, a short story about an amazing and remarkable therapy dog.
Holly Jolly bodysurfing in the ocean at Fort Fisher Beach, NC 2011
In one of the Alzheimer’s units we met a woman named Betsy. When Holly and I entered, Betsy had this lost, faraway stare—until she saw Holly. Her eyes and whole face lit up when Holly came up to her, tail wagging and jaws peeled back in a big canine grin. Betsy is at least 85 years old or older, but she always tells me the same story when we see her: She says she hopes her parents will let her get a dog soon. She’s really excited about the idea, and is sure she can convince her mother and father to let her have one. I’m sure her parents are long gone from this world, and it’s simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming to hear her story every time she tells it, even though I’ve heard it before. No doubt she sees herself as a young teenage girl. Holly always makes her and the other Alzheimer’s patients happy, even if it’s only for a few brief and quickly forgotten moments. Of course, Betsy never remembers us from one visit to the next, but that never stops Holly from sharing her special magic, or being just as attentive and friendly as if they’ve been friends since the beginning of time.
Holly Jolly playing tennis ball swim-and-fetch at the lake
A few years ago, we met a wheelchair-bound Alzheimer’s patient named Carl, who was probably in his late eighties or early nineties. Carl’s fingers were curled into almost helpless claws, and he had a dull, vacant stare in his eyes. But that all changed when he met Holly. His face broke out into a smile full of sunshine, and his fingers regained enough agility to pet Holly and scratch behind her ears. I remember him looking at me with a big toothless grin and saying, "He’s a good boy, ain’t he?" He kept petting Holly and telling her what a good boy she was, and Holly didn’t mind a bit. That incident, among a few others, was what inspired me to write Old Coot. Go ahead, give it a read: it’s only a couple thousand words, about seven pages. I recommend you have a box of tissues handy when you do read it.
Holly Jolly at Ana Ruby Falls October 2010
Holly and I continue to share her unique love everywhere we go. When people say things like, "What a generous thing it is you and Holly do for those in need of companionship," I usually laugh. They probably don’t realize the deeds are just as spiritually and emotionally rewarding to me and Holly as they are to those with whom we share Holly’s gift.
I heartily welcome you all to share YOUR special furry friends' stories in the comments here. I wish you and your four-legged friends a lifetime of joy and happiness together, and remember Holly’s motto: Live your lives with wind-in-fur.
I heartily welcome you all to share YOUR special furry friends' stories in the comments here. I wish you and your four-legged friends a lifetime of joy and happiness together, and remember Holly’s motto: Live your lives with wind-in-fur.
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