Holly

12/23/09

#05-167 Holly Golightly

Four years ago yesterday on December 22 my husband went to Town Lake to pick up a foster waiting for GRR. When he arrived home I wasn't prepared for such a sad sight—she was just skin and bones, walking gingerly. But, she was smiling! She arrived so close to Christmas we named her Holly and after another favorite movie character played by a slim  Audrey Hepburn her full name would be Holly Golightly.

Holly had been abandoned by her owners for what we figured out was about a month. We weren't sure of her age and it really didn't matter. She was a joy from the start. Every day was Christmas for this dog... that became her motto on her Dogster page.

Great with the grandkids, wonderful with other dogs and cats....she took a long time to put some weight on. She got vestibular syndrome and had some mange, but slowly she got healthy enough to go for a walk with Trooper our other GRR dog and Maggie the pug.

She lived for those walks until her last year when the severe arthritis made it impossible, but we would put the leash on and do a short smell-about on Lakeway Blvd and bring her back while the others got their exercise.

Renal failure was our next hurdle, but Holly never complained. Until the last month when she started losing weight and almost looked like the dog that arrived 3 1/2 years ago did we truly realize we were going to lose her. She passed in June, but her spirit lives on. It took us awhile to get up the nerve to foster again, but Holly would have wanted us to help another dog so upon our first call we got a new foster who has been a total joy. Holly would be smiling.