The poem follows a rescue dog who becomes a protector, a “loving brother to a lonely, only child,” and the loyal companion who stays by a mother’s side through divorce, illness, and loss. It’s a tribute to unconditional love, and to the pets who hold a family together.

Want to be featured?
Holly B. is collecting heartfelt letters and anecdotes from dog and cat lovers (and other animal lovers, too). Send yours in for a future episode.

She also shares how the city has become a retreat for her, a place to write for hours, sit in coffee shops, and reconnect with herself. The episode closes with a heartfelt listener submission from author Christiane called “So Very Sad,” a story about patience, aging pets, and treasuring the messy, loving moments while they last.

Holly shares what it was like to vend at a first-annual, larger-than-usual author event. She talks about the emotional rush of walking the room before doors opened, surrounded by creative energy and beautifully designed book displays. She also describes the compliment that made her day: a reader who found her online beforehand and arrived at her table ready to buy, no pitch needed. Holly reflects on why she feels more at home at farmers' markets, vendor markets, and small-town shows, and on the costs of big events: money, time, and emotional energy. She also celebrates the friendship she made with her table partner, Larissa.

Holly reads a true story from Spann Cordle, an advocate for people with disabilities and a speaker. One ordinary morning, his service dog Finn refused to go out the French doors, no matter what Span tried. Spann eventually realized he had forgotten a step in their routine, and Finn had noticed. The two shared twelve years together, from 2005 to 2017. Have tissues ready.

Listen next: Holly’s earlier interview with Span Cordle

Season 1, Episode 63 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtBCmKAB5BM&t=3s.

Check out Ramblings From the Little Shed

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Website: https://ramblingsfromthelittleshed.com/

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 Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Holly shares the story behind her dream of hosting a book signing at one of the largest Indigo bookstores in Toronto, the one where she once saw Jann Arden promote her book. When the follow-up silence set in, Holly didn’t give up. She returned in person, asked for the right contact, followed up by email, and finally got the reply she’d been hoping for. Her takeaway: if it matters to you, follow up respectfully, and with kindness.

Then Holly introduces Cheryl Kemppainen, a chef, holistic nutritionist, and author of Food Is My Love Language: A Dog’s Cookbook. Cheryl also shares an emotional letter about her late horse, Sky, and a dream visit that brought her peace.

Call to Action

Have a letter to share between you and your pet (or from your pet to you)? Submit it to be read on an upcoming episode. And don’t forget to go hug your dog, your cat, or your favorite human!

Email it to

inreallifewithhollyb@gmail.com

Subscribe, rate, and share In Real Life with Holly B. to catch the next episode tomorrow.

Discussion Questions for Listeners

• How do you protect your alone time when your calendar is full?
• Who is a pet (past or present) you’d write a letter to?

Call to Action
Subscribe, follow along for the rest of the 30 Day Podcast Challenge, and send in your own letter to a pet or loved one to be read on a future episode. Check out the companion podcast, Ramblings from the Little Shed.

send an email to

inreallifewithhollyb@gmail.com

Then she reads a heartfelt letter from her friend Leah, a devoted rescue volunteer, to her yellow Labrador, Nala. In eight years, Nala has welcomed 55 foster dogs and puppies and even a kitten battling feline parvo into her home. This is a tribute to the quiet patience of a pet who shares her person with so many animals in need, and to the foster dog they loved too much to let go, Darlene.

Short, sweet, and full of heart.

Holly shares how a quiet solo breakfast (with a Diet Coke, no apologies) became a small act of self-connection. She talks about learning to be comfortable alone in open spaces, why that feeling takes practice for many people, and how she’s slowly building a journaling habit. She also makes the case for handwritten letters and postcards, and mentions her Mail Club, a pen-pal-style project on her Substack.

As always, the episode closes with a pet letter. This one comes from Seven, the 12-year-old Australian shepherd, therapy dog, and Hollywood regular, as written by his person, Susan Hartzler.

Recording from St. John’s, Newfoundland, as part of a 30-day daily podcast challenge, Holly B shares a personal milestone: her first flight in almost two decades. After years of white-knuckled flying and clinging to kind strangers for comfort, she boarded a three-hour flight and found she wasn’t scared. She reflects on how she connected with the young woman beside her through simple, friendly small talk, without leaning on her for support, and how people-watching in the Toronto airport reminded her of the small human connections that happen in transit.

Then comes the heart of the episode: the “letter of the day,” a tribute from author Shari Lane to her beloved dog Eli. Part funny rulebook of a dog’s demands (breakfast at 6 AM, no sitting on the beach, balls and sticks are for throwing), part loving catalog of his quirks, it ends with a deeply moving final moment. Holly dedicates the episode to Eli and Shari and closes with a reminder to remember the joy our animals bring, and to think of the many animals still waiting for someone to love them.

Letter of the Day: A funny, sassy letter from Zoe the cat to her human, Brandon Ellrich of Substack, complaining about the thrown-out “gifts,” the annoying new cat Zak, and the lack of a cat door.

In this episode, Holly talks about why nothing replaces looking someone in the eye, shares the book Theo of Golden, which inspired the show, and explains how she’s building a month of November episodes around letters between people and their pets for NaPodPoMo.

Want to be part of it? Submit a letter, story, or anecdote from you to your pet, or from your pet to you, and it may be read on a future episode.

New episodes run about 10 to 15 minutes, perfect for a walk or a drive.

Also check out Holly’s co-hosted show with her son, Ramblings from the Little Shed.

Along the way, Holly tells the story of a friendly older gentleman at her old coffee shop who turned strangers into conversations, and why he reminded her of Theo from Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. Then grab your coffee or tea (and maybe a tissue) for the very first of 30 letters, written to her rescue dogs, Cash and Sully.

If this episode made you think of someone, share it with them, and tell me in the comments: who is a connection that changed your life, or who is the pet that changed yours?

Like, subscribe, and join me tomorrow for Day 3!