Dolly Parton Saves Dog During International Tour
UPDATE: The original owners of the Dolly Parton dog have stepped forward, and we are happy to report that she is now back home.
Dolly Parton is known all around for her big hair, her big personality, and her big heart! And in true Dolly fashion, she recently made international headlines when she tweeted a picture of a lost dog found after her concert at the Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom. Dolly Parton was at the festival performing songs off her newest album, Blue Smoke.
(See Related: Dolly Parton’s Newest Album Hits #1 Around the World)
Heard about the abandoned dog at @GlastoFest? If nobody claims her, I’ll take her home to America! Ain’t she cute 🙂 pic.twitter.com/mBZ41NUS9V
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) July 7, 2014
The Dolly Parton dog, now named Dolly herself, is a White Lurcher and is currently being well-taken care of at Happy Landings Animal Shelter. The shelter has described the dog as “a sweet-natured older lady” who is patiently waiting to be returned to her owners.
That being said, the real Dolly Parton has not forgotten about her identically-named pup. In a recent statement, Dolly said that,
“I had my manager call the Happy Landings Animal Shelter to make sure the dog is being treated and cared for properly…at this time, nobody has claimed the dog and the dos is in great hands at the shelter. I will take her home to America if nobody claims her within a reasonable amount of time.”
It is unclear at this moment what Dolly Parton’s definition of ‘reasonable amount of time’ is. We do know that Dolly will be in Europe until at least July 14, when she is set to take the stage at the Moon & Stars Festival in Locarno, Switzerland for the last scheduled performance on her Blue Smoke Tour.
We at Visit My Smokies have our fingers crossed that Doggie Dolly will soon be reunited with her original owners, although we would also love to see Dolly and the Dolly Parton dog walking the red carpets in America.
If you were Dolly Parton, what would you have named the lost dog? Let us know in the comments below!
Dolly Parton, Dogs and PETA
This is not the first time that Dolly Parton has shown off her animal loving side. In 2006, the country music superstar allowed the animal rights group PETA to use one of her songs in a commercial starring Kathy Najimy. The basis of the commercial is that pets are happier when their owners are around.
To see the commercial for yourself, click ‘play’ on the video below!
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
A little closer to home, Dolly Parton’s big heart can be seen through her childrens’ literacy program The Imagination Library. Originating in the Smoky Mountains, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library serves to provide every child in the program one free age-appropriate book a month.
Well-known for her own stories that she tells, Dolly Parton started The Imagination Library in 1996 in honor of her father who has since passed away.
In her recent Smoky Mountain concert that was put on to benefit the book program, Dolly announced that the program has delivered books to nearly 750,000 kids all across the world every month. Ages of kids in the program range from birth to the beginning of kindergarten.
Dollywood Amusement Park in Pigeon Forge
When she isn’t busy performing and giving to charities, Dolly Parton also is a major contributor to the many fun and exciting things to do in the Smoky Mountains, including her Pigeon Forge amusement park, Dollywood.
Dollywood is a family-friendly theme park that has a variety of fun activities that every member of your family will enjoy. Here, there is shopping, dining, shows and even a roller coaster or two.
This year has been particularly exciting for the Pigeon Forge amusement park as it opened its first dual-launch family roller coaster, FireChaser Express.
Guests visiting Dollywood better keep their eyes peeled because you never know who you may see there.
In addition to Dolly Parton known for making the occasional visit throughout the year, many other popular singers and celebrities are also known for making appearance. Most recently, Katy Perry was seen at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge hanging out with her backup dancers before heading down the road to her concert in Nashville.
For more information on this, and the many other fun attractions in Pigeon Forge that have been influenced by Dolly Parton, be sure to check out our Smoky Mountains attractions section of our website. There you will find a list of all the thrilling things to do in the Smoky Mountains broken down by city.
Have something you would like to add to this story? Let us know in the comments below!
