08/26/2026
Dolly Parton deeply loved Boston Terriers and shared a powerful, life-changing bond with her pet Boston Terrier named Popeye. Dolly gave Popeye to her husband, Carl Dean, because he had a Boston Terrier when he was a boy. They treated Popeye like a child, and Carl would hold and cuddle him like a baby. In the early 1980s, Dolly went through a very dark period of depression. She later shared that Popeye's footsteps running up the stairs interrupted a suicidal moment and brought her back to reality. She viewed him as a spiritual messenger.