“Our sweet Murphy was getting old, and we knew Lucy, our Golden Retriever, couldn’t handle life without a buddy,” says Regan about the origins of the Hogle family’s two-and-a-half-year-old Australian Shepherd, Dolly. “[Shawn] did some research and surprised us with Dolly as a Christmas present. Our daughter Marin, who was two-and-a-half at the time, said she wanted a puppy and a baby sister for Christmas. She got both.”

Dolly was nameless for about a week, like most of the Hogles’ dogs, until one day, she was pulling on Marin’s pajama pants when Marin exclaimed, “Dolly, no, don’t touch my pants!” From that point on, the name Dolly stuck. She also responds to Lolly Dolly, while her younger human sister, Loretta, simply calls her "bad dog!"

Although she’s a herding dog, Dolly isn’t pushy. Regan says Dolly also “has the best leap off the patio when [they] feed her. She was really good at chewing our doorjamb and the front of a cabinet door when she was a puppy.” Dolly also has an “innate ability to know when there is another dog on a walk on the other side of the fence,” which Regan promises is just Dolly’s way of saying hello. She loves a good treat, a game of fetch, and running the fence line with her neighbor dog friends.

“I don’t have one single favorite memory with Dolly, but she has given me a lot,” Regan says. “My late aunt, whom I was extremely close to, had many Australian Shepherds, including one that looked just like Dolly. I am reminded of her every day because of Dolly.” The Hogles love Dolly dearly, and Regan often jokes that Dolly is the “best worst dog ever”; she gave them an extra year with their beloved Murphy, who passed away in January. She has a penchant for barking and counter-surfing, but she constantly makes them laugh, is incredibly sweet with the girls, always wants to be around, and loves to jump up to wake Marin in the mornings.

For her dream adventure, Dolly would love to run free on some open land and herd some sheep, but if that wasn’t feasible, her perfect day is just going on vacation with her family. “She loves us dearly, and we love her right back,” the Hogles say.