Holland the Pup on traveling and hockey fandom

Holland on why hockey is amazing

Dog O’Day: What celebrity or celebrity dog would you like to meet someday?

Holland the Pup: We plan on going to several more arenas this season (did you know I’m on a mission to visit them all?) and I can’t wait to meet Rookie the Sens Pup when we are in Ottawa. I’ve already reached out to him, so I hope our schedules don’t conflict and we can make it happen.

I loved meeting my idol Bark-Andre Furry last year in Vegas.

As far as human celebrities, I had the chance to meet Erik Karlsson when we were on a walk outside Amalie Arena a couple years ago. I kept telling my dad to convince him to sign with Tampa, but my dad said that wasn’t polite or something like that. Erik’s hair is even more glamorous in person! I’d also love to meet some legends like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

My favorite player on the Lightning this season is Luke Witkowski. He’s from Holland, Michigan, and his Instagram photo is of him and his dog – and his Instagram handle is @TheHollandNative – what’s not to love about that? And he has some pretty cool hair.

Dog O’Day: Who among the dogs of Instagram would you enjoy meeting?

Holland the Pup: I’m actually pretty new to Instagram and just starting to follow more and more dogs of Instagram. I’d love to meet any hockey dog, that’s for sure. I can’t wait to meet Bolt, the new Tampa Bay Lightning service dog, when I get back to Tampa.

Dog O’Day: Do you ever watch any dogcentric events or content on TV?

Holland the Pup: I don’t, right now. I usually watch food shows or sports with my dad. Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to use the remote control so I can watch more. I may need to Google the age required to be in the Puppy Bowl before the Super Bowl. I may have missed my window on that one, but that would have been rad.

Dog O’Day: As a rescue pup, what do you wish people knew about rescue dogs?

Holland the Pup: I remember the day my dad came in to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and he seemed to love me, but also seemed nervous and a little bit scared. That made me scared that he was going to leave without me, but something must have clicked inside of him because he ended up taking a chance on me.

If someone is considering a rescue pet, I say go ahead and take the chance! He tells me I’m his best friend…maybe you’ll find your new best friend, too!

Dog O’Day: Why do you think hockey and dogs go so well together?

Holland the Pup: I love hockey because all the players seem so chill and down to earth. I am following lots of players on Instagram and it looks like a lot of players even have dogs of their own. They must give lots of love to their dads after a long day at the rink. I think it’s just that…dogs and hockey players are pretty chill, like to have fun, and like to be goofy. It’s a perfect match!

We agree with her! If you’d like to become a part of the Dog O’Day pack as a contributor, then please apply here. We’d love to have you! Also be sure to check our interviews with Rookie the Batdog and Sir Winston Da Doodle.

The Lightning kick off their 2019-20 season at home on Thursday, October 3, at 6 p.m. ET against their in-state rivals the Florida Panthers.