My girlfriend, Sammy, and I were not sure if we were ready for a new dog after the death of our beloved dog, Edith Piaf. We went to an adoption fair from a wonderful rescue group in LA called Dogs Without Borders. We were very sad, and not sure if we were ready to bring another animal into our world… until we saw her. From across the room, a volunteer carried a latecomer to the event. We said to each other: “Is that a fuzzy football?”. Within seconds, this tiny dog locked eyes with each of us. We knew we were in trouble. This “special girl” had a right displaced patella, (and waddled when walking), a thyroid issue, an ongoing skin condition and spots of missing hair growing back from mange. Oh boy. The way she stayed calm like a baby in Sammy’s arms, in the midst of chaos at the event, spoke louder than all of her ailments. We never put her down that day, and we’ve never let go.

She is named Dolly Parton because she has certain “assets” that remind us of Miss Parton. Today, Dolly is a trained therapy animal thru Pet-Partners.org. She volunteers her time at nursing homes and hospitals. She brings joy to everyone she meets.

We went to that adoption event that day with a broken heart, but it’s been mended ten-fold. Remarkably, she has an actual heart pattern on her chest where her hair never grows.