By Heidi Dahms Foster
Don and Darlene Packard have always loved animals, sharing their lives with an assortment of dogs, cats, and even a potbellied pig.
The couple was living and working in Anchorage, Alaska, when on Valentines Day 1991, Darlene convinced Don that they needed a potbellied pig. “After all, George Clooney had one and it slept in his bed. The fantasy grew in my head, so it was instant love the day we saw all these piglets with mama. Toto was a bundle of wiggly, squealing piglet energy, and our lives were never the same.”
Toto became well known around Anchorage, Darlene said. He raised money for one of the elementary schools to update their computers. He walked on a leash, and while bribed with raisins, belted out tunes on his baby piano. “He was a delight to all who met him. We took him to schools, nursing homes and once even to church,” Darlene said.
“We left Alaska in 1997 for Atlanta, Georgia. Toto’s adventure continued on a wide-bodied plane in the biggest dog kennel available, headed south by himself. My heart was breaking with worry about how his flight would go,” she said.
Toto lived to be 13, but in old age, he was plagued with an impacted tusk which impeded his ability to eat. “Toto lived to eat, and upon the advice of his vet, Dr. Steven Dow, Toto was gently and compassionately put to sleep. There was no dry eye in the clinic that day!” Darlene said.
Toto was laid to rest at the Las Vegas Ranch, next to the Pierce family’s prize-winning horse and cow. “He was in grand company at his final resting place home on the range,” she said.
In 2012, Don and Darlene had become enchanted with Australian Shepherds. An avid walker, Don asked a friend who raised the dogs if she could find him an Aussie, because his current dog, Katie, was becoming too elderly for long-distance jaunts. “The day Don got the call that she had a special boy, Sailor, changed our world again,” Darlene said.
Sailor, a red Aussie with white trim, had been born the only puppy in his litter. He was raised with a young cat, Riley, so he was a good fit with the Packard’s cats. He loved to walk and Don had found his canine soulmate. On Sailor’s first day in his new home, the two walked seven miles, the first of hundreds over the years. “They were both tired but happy campers by bedtime,” Darlene said.
Don, a retired Air Force veteran, has given 22 years of service and more than 6,000 hours volunteering at the Prescott Veterans Hospital. He had seen therapy dogs at the hospital, so it was a natural progression to want to share the friendly Sailor with veterans and staff.
“Not long after, he enrolled Sailor into therapy dog training. Sailor loved meeting people and making them feel loved,” Darlene said.
In 2014, Jake, another red Aussie, joined the Packards, and also became a much-loved therapy dog.
“Jake was a clown and would make us laugh at his antics. He had a smile like Elvis Presley and would use it to crack us up when he was in trouble. He also became a therapy dog at the young age of two. He was a special boy and loved by all.”
Sailor, Jake and Don also would visit people at Yavapai Regional Medical Center, care facilities, and a few of the hospices in town. The dogs both achieved the most complex therapy dog ratings–they were allowed to visit most areas of the hospitals, and were as much loved by staff as by patients.
Don has a heart for lonely, forgotten people. “They are sitting there day in and day out, and nobody visits them. I had one lady in particular, whose daughter lived in town, but didn’t visit her. I made a point of seeing her about once a week. She really enjoyed Sailor. There are people out there who are sick, they’re warehoused, and not many people care,” Don said.
Don said one of the most gratifying things he has seen in his therapy work with Sailor and Jake was a man who had not spoken since he had a stroke. “About the third visit to that gentleman, he looked down at Sailor and said, ‘doggy.’ That was the first word he had spoken since his stroke. That’s a rewarding thing to me. The dogs really make a difference in people’s lives,” Don said.
Sailor passed away in 2023 at the age of 12, mourned by all who knew him, including the heartbroken Jake. Soon, Darlene said, rescue Bernese Mountain Dog, eight-year-old Otis, joined the family. “The day that this big goofy dog walked up our driveway, my heart was hooked.”
In May 2024, Jake had a stroke. “The last memory I have of him was when they wheeled Jake in and he looked up at me and gave me one of those goofy Elvis Presley smiles. And then he was gone,” Darlene said.
Otis, knew that something was missing, and began to mourn, and the Packards knew it was time for a friend for him.
“Famous last words–NO PUPPIES,” Darlene said. “A few weeks later we came home with Dotty, an eight-month-old heeler mix from Ship Rock, New Mexico. Her DNA shows 24 different breeds in her make-up. Nicknamed ‘Naughty Lotty Lu,’ Dotty is a hoot and has breathed new life and energy in Otis. She is a herder, and we are her sheeple.”
Harry the tuxedo cat, who came along in 2014 to join cat housemate Truman, rules the Packard home, including the dogs. Truman passed away in 2016, but Harry is well known on Facebook, writing of his adventures and life observations in Harry’s World, ghost written by Darlene.
“Harry has helped me write term papers, meeting minutes, kept track of campaign finances and keeps Otis and Dotty in line,” Darlene said. “He lays in wait for Dotty to walk by to attack. He holds his own at 10 and Dotty has met her match in Harry the Cat.”
Don and Darlene, who also has given many hours of volunteer time in various capacities, this year received the inaugural Light of PV Award at the annual Prescott Valley State of the Town Luncheon. It’s certain that the couple is the light of life for every animal fortunate enough to share their home and hearts.
