September 2026, Pet of the Month - Ollie

Ollie the Yorkie: “You’re Not Gonna Get Near My Mommy"

”If you see Judy Jacobs, chances are her Yorkie, Ollie, is right behind her.

“Even if he’s sleeping somewhere, if I get up and move, all of a sudden he’s right behind me,” Judy says. “Ollie’s extremely protective. If he doesn’t know the person approaching me, he’ll run over with a little growl and keep his eye on you until he knows I’m safe. It’s like, ‘You’re not gonna get near my mommy.’”

Ollie came into Judy’s life years ago in a way that seemed almost meant to be.

One day, she was walking past the Humane Society and saw three of the sweetest-looking Yorkies in the window. When she asked about them, she learned they had to be adopted together because of a divorce settlement. Judy couldn't take three dogs, but she told a volunteer, “If you ever get a Yorkie, call me.”

She thought it would never happen.

Eight months later, out of the blue, the shelter called. They had a male Yorkie.

Judy asked her girlfriend to go with her and warned, “Don’t you dare talk me into another dog.”

When they arrived, the shelter brought Ollie out. He ran straight to Judy's friend, who looked down at him and said, “I have kitty cats, and I can’t have you.”

Ollie looked at her, turned around, walked over to Judy, stood in front of her, and looked up as if to say, “Well, I guess you're left.”

Judy laughed. “I couldn't take this dog without first introducing him to Annie,” she told the volunteer.

Annie, Judy's older Yorkie, was about 11 or 12 at the time and definitely the Alpha dog. When Ollie came home, he walked right over to Annie, who was sitting on the couch. Annie didn't growl and seemed to accept him.

That's how Ollie ended up with Judy.

Annie and Ollie became good companions, although Annie was always the one in charge—and apparently Ollie's protector as well. Soon after Judy moved to Bentley Village, she was walking the two dogs when another Yorkie, who had gotten out of its home without its owners realizing it, came after them and tried to nip at them.

“Annie went right after the dog,” Judy says. “She was not about to let anything bother Ollie.”

Annie died at 14, about three years after Ollie joined the family. Losing her was hard. “She was a sweetheart,” Judy says. “She had a depth of feeling and could read your mood.”

For a while, Ollie seemed confused without Annie. Then, Judy says, he apparently came to a realization of his own: “Now I'm top dog.”

If Judy had to describe Ollie in one word, though, it would be curious.

One day, someone put a ceramic statue on the lawn. Ollie stopped and stared, tilting his head one way and then the other. Finally, he started barking.

“He knew there was something different,” Judy says.

When he was younger, Ollie checked everything. He seemed to have the landscape memorized. He also had a fascination with geckos. If one got into the apartment, he'd play with it—and if it stopped moving, he'd apparently try to get the game going again by picking it up and tossing it in the air.

“He was hilarious,” Judy says.

He still has his opinions about the wildlife around Bentley Village. Rabbits and ducks don't interest him much. He'll simply look at a duck and walk around it. But white ibis are another matter. He gets upset and barks at them.

Judy asks him, “Are you mad because you can't fly?”

Ollie also loves his toys. He has a basket full of them, although he definitely has favorites, including a long, skinny snowman he enjoys shaking. Sometimes he'll choose a toy and bring it to Judy, clearly hoping she'll join in.

Over the years, Ollie has been there for Judy—and Judy has been there for Ollie.

After Judy's hip surgeries, Ollie stayed with a friend from her Bible study group. Her friend brought him to visit Judy in rehab, which meant a great deal to her because she missed him so much.

“When it was time to leave, he'd look back at me as if to say, ‘Why can't I stay here with you?’”

Judy was also grateful to the two women who took turns walking Ollie while she was recovering.

Today, Ollie is 14. He doesn't hear well, his eyesight is poor, and he has some health issues. But he still takes his walks and knows his routine. He also knows where he wants to sleep.

Ollie sleeps in bed with Judy, although sometimes, when she goes to bed, he's perfectly content on the floor or hanging out on a rug. Later, she'll hear the click of his paws on the floor. Since he can no longer jump onto the bed, she lifts him up beside her.

Judy still talks to him, even though she knows he probably can't hear the words.

“He seems to know when I'm talking to him,” she says.

And, of course, Ollie still follows her.

“I love this precious little dog,” Judy says. “He's such a good companion. Even though I have lots of friends and there are lots of activities in the community, he's my good companion when I'm home.”

Then she pauses to think about the day she knows will eventually come.

“I'll be so sad when he leaves us.”

For now, though, Ollie is still right behind her—keeping an eye on his mommy.