Holly
Nicknames: Holly Wolly, Wolly, Ronna Piranha, WollyBrat, Piranha Lips, Grandma, HolHols
AKC Regwastered Name: O'Mal's Danger Zone
OFA: good - CERF:clear - CHD: clear
approx. 24" 75 lbs.
12-10-1998 - 5-25-2011 (5:37pm)
Holly was friendly, outgoing, happy and used to talk TOO much! At 12 you'd never know it. She was still quick enough to get a bunny almost every day! And where was all that coat when we were showing her? It's like she suddenly sprouted hair in her old age! Holly thinks everyone should love her and was very confused when they don't. She was also the queen of the "evil eye" trying to stare you down and see if you can be intimidated. Star groomed Holly to be Alpha bitch and she knew it - always feeling she was entitled. When she had Riggs, she let him be the spokes dog, and had much less to say. She also still gets along great with her two daughters Mula and Jazzy - because Jazzy grovels sufficiently and Mula stays out of her way. She likes to show, but she loved being a mom more! We were thrilled when she won Best in Show at her very first puppy match, but her favorite part was winning a squeaky octopus. All her life she loved tennis balls and invented a game where she holds one tennwas ball and chases the other - then as she chases, bats it with her feet and drops the held ball - and has taught it to her kids. She's eventually expanded her game to include chasing the tennis ball down the basement stairs, running back up with it, and dropping it down again. She was always busy and very very smart. She never really "mellowed" - loving to pick fights with Gracie and Pod or Riggs, just for fun.
She has a personality all her own. She can be pushy - getting between us and another dog we're petting (pet ME first!!) and will gladly start a fight over a crumb (got that from Star). Playing a gentle game of tug becomes a test of who can hold on longest! And the MOUTH! If she's not trying to chew on your hand (because she loves you!), she was talking. She likes to talk to visitors and will not shut up!!! Her nickname was Rhonna Piranha because she thinks holding your hand with her mouth was the equivalent of a hug! She's decided early on she was heir apparent in the pack order and was not too happy when Gracie arrived. SHE was Star's "chosen one"! How dare Gracie appear!! She's was relatively nice to her at first, but one day decided "she must die" and started a fight. That was the end of their friendship. Of course, the timing wasn't the best as she was expecting her first litter of puppies when Gracie arrived.
As a Mom, Holly was the most doting, loving mom we've ever had (and that's saying something since Penny was an awesome mom). Calmer since having them, she was always a busy girl with lots of energy, always wanting to do something. If bored, she'll try and be good for awhile, but eventually will succumb to temptation and find something interesting to chew (usually something in the sink!). Holly was best friends with Nova, and really missed her when she died. They would often hang out together in the kitchen and play chase games in the yard. But all that changed when Nova died and she had her pups...
Holly had a rough start as a new mom since her first litter came by c-section. But in spite of the fact the pups "dropped from the sky" she was a terrific mom. She willingly nursed them and took care of them with a little guidance from us, and took to motherhood with a passion. She adored her pups - watching over them almost obscessively. It was a huge maturing experience for our perpetual teenager - and a nice one at that. She seems more settled now, calmer, more content and patient (those were never her strong points before!) and best of all - QUIET! so I think being a Mom has been a good thing for her. On the other hand, she's decided she was not too fond of Gracie (understatement)- and likes to stare at her and give her "the look"...oh well...nobody's perfect....
In middle age she finally filled out, somehow acquired a huge coat and became an expert bunny hunter. One time when she was 11 1/2 we lost a bunny a day. It iwas a favorite sport and she didn't let up until there wasn't a bunny to be found. The squirrels stayed away and avoided our yard. She didn't just kill them (instantly), but would eat the best parts and leave a leg or two for the young dogs to find when it was their turn in the yard. If we cut back her food because she was getting a little chubby, that would precipitate a rabbit massacre. No critter was safe!
In her old age she's really come into her own. She was our resident "Grandma" and Queen Mother. She was the OWNER of the kitchen and we jokingly called her the "potscrubber" because she could get them cleaner than I could! She was teacher to all puppies (teaching them important skills like bunny hunting and running fast) and particularly doted on Pod's son Max. They were very close in her last months and she taught him her bunny annihilation skills - the day before she died, in her honor, he got a squirrel...because he loves his Grandma.
Holly always loved puppies - anyone's puppies - even older puppies. You could see the pride when we call her "Grandma". She loved it! For an old girl she was so healthy, had the eyes of a hawk, ran fast and and cleaned dishes like a pro. Then, her last month we had a shock - she just stopped eating. No reason, no apparent sickness...just stopped - and Holly liked to eat. After some vet tests and the discovery her temperature was soaring we eventually found she had an inoperable tumor in her stomach, pancreas, liver and spleen...it was terminal. At the same time she developed an abscessed canine tooth...so we made her comfortable and waited. We had just bought property up north and took her with us where she spent a week enjoying walks in the woods and looking for bunnies - by now she was getting pretty sick, but still like a stoic malamute, didn't let on. She loved that she had her own bedroom in the house we bought and stretched out smack in the middle like the Queen she knew she was. We really believed she'd never make it back home she was so sick, but she did - and made it a few days more.
That initial visit to the vet was telling. I got the distinct feeling she knew what was wrong and was concerned we were going to "put her down" (which of course never crossed our mind - we thought a minor infection was causing her high temp and refusal to eat). But when we discovered the serious reason for her being sick, we vowed to allow her to do it her way as she wanted. She didn't want to go to the vet (though humored us to go for a few minor tests and to discover the reason for her lack of appetite)...she wanted to be with her pack. She lasted several days longer than expected and when we felt she was beginning to suffer, took her to the vet - where she promptly died on her own before the vet could prepare the shot. She'd told us she wanted to do it "her way" - and she did. Malamutes are amazing dogs...and Holly was most amazing and will always be special in our hearts.
Holly's Album
