Calling all Dogs of Chapel Hill!

Happy Sunday friends.

It was such a beautiful day today so Anne Maxwell, Madalyn, Emory, Emily, and I took the perfect opportunity to take a drive to Maple View Farms -- the home of incredible ice cream and scenery (for Instagrams and snapchats especially... guilty). As I looked out at the people and farmland surrounding me, I saw a a few cute pups running around who I know would be great features on Dogs of Chapel Hill. I also drove past a beautiful golden doodle sitting with his family at The Spotted Dog in Carrboro. Maybe I'll run into him someday and get my interview, we'll see. If you've seen who I follow on Instagram you'd know why this was such an exciting moment. Needless to say, I had a good side-stare for the entire red light haha. Stay tuned on that one.

Anyway... this got me thinking about all the Dogs of Chapel Hill that may be a little beyond my social media reach as a student in the bubble of UNC. This is where you guys come in. I am writing to ask all of you to drop me a note about the dogs you know and love in this pretty little town. Names, contact info, Instagram accounts, anything! I want to make sure to capture as many pups as far and wide as the city limits take me. The more the merrier, of course.

Until the next pup, thank you for reading!
Lily


dogsofchapelhill@gmail.com
@dogsofchapelhill

Holden the Golden

Hi everyone! If you don't already know him, this little fella is Holden the Golden. He's a quite famous Tar Heel, both on Campus and on Instagram. As we took a walk through the upper quad with his mom Caroline this week, at least 6 people stopped and said hello, calling Holden by name.

This 10-month-old Golden Retriever has gained so many fans, followers, and friends in the short time he's been in Chapel Hill, and there are a lot of reasons for that. He's sweet upon first hellos, friendly to everyone he sees, and even a philanthropist - at such a young age! Holden took to the Puppy Kissing Booth for UNC Helping Paws and raised $300 in just one hour. As he gets older, he plans to take the K9 Good Citizen Test so that he can be extra helpful to humans. Has he won you over yet?

In addition to his great personality, Holden the Golden is also quite talented. His list of tricks is a long one... he sits, spins, kisses, "speaks", shakes, high fives, comes, and lies down - all on command and all in the name of treats, of course. One treat he really likes (that his Mom and Dad do not) is a good ole sock (Or five). Attention dog owners!!! Do not let your pups get into your sock drawer. Thankfully, Holden decided after a little while that socks didn't taste as good as they smelled and he gave them back to Mom and Dad.

One of Holden's favorite places to go is where he got his name -- Holden Beach, NC. He went there on one of his first weekends with his new family, and has loved it ever since. Everything about the beach is perfect for this pup. Seems to be a theme in this blog... (@Layla). In similar fashion, Holden also loves everything about Chapel Hill. Plenty of pretty places to walk around, lots of people to pet him, and of course tons good food! Just the other day he had his first biscuit at Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, one of my personal favorites too. Holden discovered the incredible taste of a chicken and cheese biscuit, just like Bad Grandpa and many other biscuit lovers. If he sneaks out of his apartment soon, I bet I know where we can find him. As Holden takes on the rest of his "Senior Bucket List" with his Mom and Dad, he has many fun adventures ahead. Soon he'll be having a blue cup at He's Not Here and going on a date (and hopefully getting his first kiss!) at Kenan Memorial Football Stadium. For more on Holden's bucket list adventures, follow along on his Instagram and Website.

I loved meeting you Holden the Golden and can't wait to see where your adventures take you. For now, enjoy being a Dog of Chapel Hill and I'll see you around. Go heels, Go Holden!

Thank you all for reading and keeping up with Dogs of Chapel Hill.

Until next time,
Lily

Lily and Holden

Holden and Caroline (Mom)

Layla: A Tar Heel Born and Bred

Layla

Hello friends, it's me again, and I'm back to tell another story of a dog I love. This pretty golden Tar Heel is my six-year-old "niece" Layla, and she's perfect... maybe a little extra slobbery and overly dramatic when you stop petting her, but she is truly extraordinary. If you've ever seen Layla, you know how happy this dog is to see you, no matter who you are. After being apart from her for a while, she'll fall down at my feet and cry, letting me know that it's been way too long. Talk about something that will make you feel loved.

Layla's story started in Chapel Hill, where she spent her time in a fraternity house, jumping between couches in a house full of girls on Cameron Ct., and most importantly, attempting to drink Blue Cups at He's Not Here. Everyone loved her and she loved everything about it. Layla has since moved on to a new city, but she wears her UNC collar, watches all of the games with her parents, and loves to put on her football jersey! She is without a doubt a Tar Heel born and bred.

As the puppy daughter to my sister Isabelle and brother-in-law Jim, I get to see this golden girl pretty often. She's a regular on our family beach trips (LOVES the ocean) and spends the night with us when we're all at home for the holidays. Crockett (our family dog) drives her a bit crazy with all of his extra puppy energy, but she holds her own as a true puppy at heart. She loves to play with Pink Piggy and this year's Christmas present- Orange Salamander. Dogs have a funny way of reminding you to keep nourishing the child in you, don't they?

Throughout her life, Layla has made a strong impression on many people. Very often she is complimented for her pretty red golden coat, but her personality stands out even more. "So human" is what comes to mind for me when trying to describe Layla. I could swear I've seen her burp and look around for people to laugh at it. She'll also let Isabelle hold her like a big baby and won't even squirm. It's the wildest thing. By saying that she's made an impression on people over the years is a bit of an understatement. After falling in love with the original, at least a couple of other people in our small town got a golden and even named the dogs Layla... that couldn't just be a coincidence, right? In the past couple of years, two of Jim's brothers have also gotten golden retrievers, not named Layla though haha. Dixie and Sophie are both very cute and sweet, just like their big grown up golden cousin.

To this sweet golden girl and a true Tar Heel dog of Chapel Hill, I can't imagine life without you. And to all of you reading, thank you for following along... Time to go hug your puppies.

Until next time,
Lily

I'm a Dog Person

Crockett

Hi to all Tar Heels, doggie lovers, and everyone else here to check out Dogs of Chapel Hill! I'm so excited to get started with this blog and to meet the pups (and owners!) running around in the Tar Heel State. My name is Lily Fagan and I'm currently a senior in my final semester at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I've loved dogs forever, particularly black labs, and look forward to the day when I will be responsible enough to have my own (S/O to you Mom and Dad). At home I enjoy every minute with our family dog named Crockett (think "Davy Crockett"). He's a 5.5 month old black labrador retriever we got in September 2015. What a dog, let me tell you. The most kind-hearted little puppy I've ever seen. Anyone would love him. 

Bo

I got started on being a dog person very early in life. At age 3, my family got a black lab named Bo. He stole a lot of our toys and a few popsicles here and there, but his specialty was pizza. He'd walk himself down to the pizza place right outside of our neighborhood called "Tom Tom's" where they'd leave the burnt ones outside waiting for him. Our neighbors still recall seeing him trotting casually toward home with his head held high and with a large pizza hanging out of his mouth. Can't help but laugh thinking about that, can you? I'm thinking the pizza place started to burn them on purpose just because they loved him so much too. Bo was a sweet dog and I loved him for fifteen and a half long years. As I tear up thinking about him now, I know he's up there playing his heart out. All dogs go to Heaven, you know. 

Buck

After about six months without a big ole happy companion around, my parents decided to take on the puppy life once again. This time was a bit different than the first. There weren't any crazy little screaming girls this time around to chase around, but Buck found plenty of other ways to cause trouble - pillows, a cashmere blanket, and some of my favorite chocolate-covered almonds in the cabinet, among plenty of other things he wasn't supposed to chew. We all loved sweet little Buck with all of our hearts. After having Bo at age 15, little Bucky at 6 weeks old was something else entirely! He was a strong, loving, handsome, and mischievous dog with a good heart and a playful spirit. I was home a lot to see him and we always had a good time together. We got to FaceTime during my time abroad, so I didn't ever miss out on too much Buck time. My parents fell entirely in love with him, as we all did, and gave us all regular updates of all the funny things he did. He loved running and sliding in the snow, maybe because he was born in that cold and snowy February of 2014. He loved playing at the farm and running circles around the yard at NASCAR speed. But most of all, this dog loved to ride in the car. He'd hop in at any moment, especially if he thought you were about to leave him behind. When I'd come home from Chapel Hill, he'd jump right in and stay, even if I went inside and left the door open. He wanted to make sure he was getting to come along wherever you were going. He'd sit right up in the front seat like a person, and just look as content as anyone ever could. And that's how I remember him today. I see my sweet little Buck riding shotgun in the jeep, having the time of his life with his tongue out and his eyes right on me. I keep him close to my heart and think of him every day. My last day with Buck I was leaving to go back to school after a weekend at home. He walked up to my car and stuck his little head in the door. He didn't want me to go and I didn't want to leave him. It was almost as if we both knew it'd be the last time together. As I fail to hold back my tears today, I tell you of how much we all miss him and how losing him broke all of our hearts. In the summer of 2015, Buck went to Heaven to be with Bo, but lives in our hearts now and forever.

So this is my story. I'm a dog person because of the unrelenting love and loyalty that dogs show. They are compassionate companions and make one hell of a friend. To my puppy brothers in Heaven and my sweet Crockett in Reidsville, I love you and I'm glad I could share our stories. To all of you out there reading, I can't wait to share other people's puppy stories with you too.

Until next time,
Lily