Holly Berry Bell 1996-2014

After months of hard discussion, we decided to put our little Holly to sleep.

She came to live with us on Christmas Eve, 1996. A "present" from our kids. She was supposed to be a miniature dachshund, but she just kept growing. We called her our monster-mini.

As luck would have it...on the way to the vets...the song The Way We Were by Barbara Streisand came on.

Memories...of the way we were.

At one time...Holly was a real go-getter. A ball-chaser, a fisherman, a wrestler, and a protector (read barker) of our home.

She lead many lives during her 17+ years. In her younger days, she went to work with my wife on a daily basis. She was the nursing home dog, giving comfort to countless numbers of ailing patients. She even had her own name-tag.

After my father-in-law died, Holly spent a couple of summers up north at the lake with my mother-in-law. Sometimes you get the sense that animals KNOW when somebody needs a helping paw...and Holly was glad to give it.

But, most of all...she was a good family dog. Good with kids, good with adults...always greeting everyone with a wagging tail.

It was sad to watch her go blind (we tried surgery), and it was sad to watch her begin to wander around the house and the back yard. Like she didn't know where she was.

I used to joke that she was the worst Christmas present I ever received...but perhaps she was the best...OR...she will at least be the most memorable.

Holly Berry Bell. May she rest in peace...perhaps getting back her eyesight, and that spring in her step.