Dollie, (Dollie Sue) aka Dora the Explorer was born on Aug 1, 2013 and crossed over peacefully in her loving parents’ arms Nov 18, 2024 @ 10:30 pm.
This little sweetheart was born in a 1 room cabin in Dupuyer, Mt.
She came unexpectedly soon into our lives after my 15-year-old Jack Russell, Squirt, passed away in July 2013. My husband and I had just gotten married in the spring and each of our children from previous marriages were gone – so this was “our baby” together. My husband has often said he’s glad we never had actual children together because Dollie was ridiculously spoiled by me and deserved every minute of it!
She quickly became her dad’s running partner and mom’s shadow accompanying us as much as she could no matter what we did!
Lil miss Dollie had the biggest heart, was well behaved, incredibly smart and very intuitive, and obviously adorable as can be with those bright eyes! She attended puppy school twice to reinforce the basic commands and also learned countless tricks that she loved to perform as long as there were treats.
Jack Russell’s are notoriously lightning fast, and she was right up in her last senior days even while fighting illness.
Dollie persevered through many trials without complaint including a bulged disc temporarily paralyzing her after jumping off her dad’s lap, she endured water therapy and Acupuncture for several days before regaining a foothold that would never be the same and resulted in permanent nerve damage affecting her spine and feet. Then her esophagus started to collapse, and she started fighting IBS issues that had her on antibiotics for several years, messing with her stomach even more, she had just started feeling better after several months of receiving fecal pills from a healthy dog to get her gut health back in order and then her senior blood test came back with low blood glucose indicating a possible pancreatic insoluma. Her symptoms were not cookie cutter, and the test results and ultrasound were inconclusive as we waited for an appt 3.5 hours away at a vet oncologist for a CT she succumbed to the unknown which makes losing her even harder.
Although unknowingly she must have been suffering quite some time before she showed signs, that’s when I started to realize she was teaching me a lesson in how to live gracefully enjoying the things she could as long as she could and without complaint. Dolly was there for me several years through many stressful and tearful days of me dealing with my own health struggles. I at times wonder if I had passed on my stress to her causing some of her issues? …
Dollie loved riding in the 4×4 in a basket putting her front and center, then graduated to a side by side and rode several thousands of miles on the trails in the Montana mountains, exploring the sights, sounds, smells and wild animals finishing the day and camping out by the fire in the evenings in her own camp lounge chair with blankets and a hoodie! In the winter she loves to chase her mom around and around inside the house for exercise and entertainment. She looked forward to her daily walks, helping dump the garbage, preaching the dishwasher dishes, being captain of our river raft floating trips, chasing birds and squirrels, barking at the mailman even though she loved him and almost everyone she met. One of her favorite things to do regularly was to “visit” the neighbor’s house 2 houses away every chance she got, especially if she was bored with her parents’ working chores in the yard. We always knew where to find her or she would come back after saying hi and getting some loving or play time. So cute! She loved all her neighbors, and they loved her!
Although I knew this day would inevitably come, it snuck up on us quicker than expected and left us with big broken hearts.
You were the coolest dog I’ve ever had.
I loved you all your life sweet Dollie Sue and I will miss you all of mine! 🐶🩷🐾
Until we see each other again
Thank you to Big Sky Animal Center for partnering with 406 Pet Crematory in Helena and thank you for your amazing caring cremation service and documentation and providing this pet obituary forum for us pet lovers to share, grieve and help heal!