Holly was vibrating with excitement before we even left the driveway. She’d already done three victory laps around the house, grabbed her leash twice, and gave me that “Don’t you dare forget my kids!” stare. She absolutely knows when we’re headed to Integris—somehow she can hear the word “visit” even when I whisper it like a CIA operative. By the time we got in the car, she was practically filing a complaint that I wasn’t driving fast enough. After all, her kids were waiting, and Holly does not keep her fan club waiting.
A Little Paw-Mail from Holly!
I knew it was an Integris day the moment my human grabbed my vest. Nugget knew too—he started bouncing around like a popcorn kernel in a hot pan. Then he remembered he still doesn’t get to come yet. Poor guy went from “I’M READY!” to “Oh… right… I’m still growing up.” He sighed so loud I thought the windows might crack. He keeps saying he’ll take his Good Citizen test soon, but honestly, he gets scared of his own shadow, so we’ll see.
As for me? I was READY. I wanted to take every shortcut possible—side streets, alleys, teleportation if my human would just cooperate. Every time we stopped at a red light, I stuck my head up and announced to the entire intersection, “I’M GOING TO SEE MY KIDS!” I’m pretty sure a few people rolled up their windows, but that’s fine. They needed to know.
The moment we stepped into the building, I strutted in like I owned the place. Automatic doors? They open for me. I headed straight toward the adult ward with my “I’m on official business” walk. Those grown‑ups always need extra love, and luckily I’m basically a licensed professional in the field of snuggles.
As usual, the compliments started flying the second I walked in. “Wow, she’s big!” “She’s such a pretty dog!”
Honestly, the size‑shaming is unnecessary. I mean, yes, I’m big… but I’m also gorgeous, majestic, and perfectly proportioned. Since they remembered to call me pretty, I decided to forgive them. Priorities.
Then it was off to the adolescent ward. New faces, returning faces—I remembered every single one. I’m proud of the ones who came back. Asking for help isn’t shameful. Even dogs need help sometimes… mostly Nugget, but still.
After that, we visited the other wards, and I saw my favorite friend. He has started playing games with me now. Today we played the “Which hand is the treat in?” game. I pretended I didn’t know a couple of times, just to keep him confident. But come on… a dog’s nose can smell a treat from two miles away. I knew exactly where it was. I just didn’t want to crush his spirit.
One of the girls is going home next week. She showed my stories to her siblings and even gave them my pictures to color. My human told her she would post my coloring book online so her siblings can download it. I think that’s a great idea—my face deserves to be colored in every shade of crayon.
By the time we headed home, I was exhausted. Sixty people petting you will do that. My fur was practically flattened. But it was worth it. My next adventure is Monday, some sort of meetings for all of the library staff. Judging from the amount of people staffing at NW 122nd Street, it should be a mob! But you better believe that I’ll be ready.
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See you on the next adventure!
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