Holly

We are sad to announce that our 2015 alumna Holly has left for the Rainbow Bridge.  Her parents, Mary and Duke, sent us this lovely tribute to her…
 
“In Sept 2015, I was notified about a dog that was found locally in Pensacola. She was taken in by the family who found her and named Ellie. They had a GSP so they knew what they were getting into but said they couldn’t keep her because she was stressing out their other dog. They suggested Ellie go to a home where she could be a single dog. I contacted the rescue group and told them they were willing to let her go to rescue. We brought her in with the understanding that we would temp foster her for about a week until they could find another home. 
 
So I brought this crazy dog into our house, renamed her Holly, and she immediately won Duke’s heart on the first day. He didn’t want to see her because he knew he would love her like he loves all the rescues. Then we discovered she had heartworms. We decided we would keep her through her treatment. Of course, we adopted her and we were able to love her for the next 8.5 years. 
 
If you ever met Holly, you know she made you feel special. She loved “hard”. She did everything fast, rough, and fiercely. She had more heart than any other dog and was the most loyal. She was truly the most versatile hunting dog. Deer, birds, small game. It didn’t matter, she didn’t discriminate. She rarely left her dad’s side and proved that rescues can be incredible hunters. 
 
On Nov 27th we found out she had oral melanoma. We were shocked. I researched and read the studies on treatment options. We decided that we would let nature take its course and love her as much as we could. We barely left her and gave her the best last days of her life.
 
On Friday, January 19 we made the decision to help her cross over the rainbow bridge. It was gut wrenching and we have cried every day since. We loved her tremendously and will miss her just as much. To lose a pup due to old age is hard but to lose one due to sickness is harder. We are thankful she came into our lives and let us love her for as long as we did.”
 
“Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.” Unknown