This week the world said goodbye to Dolly Parton at the age of 80 years old. While she had slowed down in recent years, Dolly was still active and involved in many projects, one of her favorites being the Imagination Library. But some may not realize that Dolly was definitely a pet person. As a child, her family was poor but Dolly made friends with a lot of stray dogs and cats as she was growing up in the Tennessee mountains.
Dogs, especially, were a part of Dolly Parton’s life, even from childhood. She had a small dog named “Popeye” who was a faithful companion early on. Her most recent pet was a French Bulldog named “Billy the Kid”. Dolly referred to him as her “god dog”, because he actually belongs to her manager. She even wrote a series of children’s books inspired by Billy, weaving a tale of a little dog who wants to become a country music star.. One of his songs was “Jowlene”.
While the book may be fiction, the dog is not. Billy the Kid has real celebrity status, including his own Instagram account with fifty-six thousand followers.
Dolly also loved eagles, and joined forces with the American Eagle Foundation to create the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood. It was a place where eagles who were unable to survive in the wild could find refuge and be cared for. Sadly, recent storms damaged the sanctuary, and the eagles had to be relocated.
Dolly even started a business called Doggy Parton, featuring toys and apparel for pets. Part of the proceeds from sales were donated to an animal rescue in Tennessee.
In one of her books, Dolly said pets don’t live as long as people but they leave lasting memories. Dolly Parton sure left a lot of memories for us. Let the memory of Dolly (and her furry friends) encourage you to create your own memories with your four-legged buddies, when you’re speaking of pets.
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