Meet Miss Dolly Star, the mini cow bringing seniors and children joy

Meet Miss Dolly Star, a miniature therapy cow.

Residents at Oakwood Creative Care in Mesa, Arizona, a nonprofit day center for people with cognitive disabilities such as Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinson’s disease, were greeted by the sweet and friendly visitor on Feb. 2.

Now, Miss Dolly Star is smaller than a regular cow and bigger than a large dog — three times the weight. But, like a dog, she’s sweet as can be and easily lured by her favorite snack, marshmallows.

Oakwood brought Miss Dolly Star to their facility to brighten its residents’ spirits and give them a bit of fun that day.

“They need engagement, not to be pushed off and kept safe,” said Carol Lawless, Oakland’s director of community engagement.

“They need to have joy and love and friendship, especially as they face these diseases,” she said. Her job is to make sure the members now facing uncertain futures find joy, love and friendship through the unique experiences she works to provide.

Randy Prentiss is a Vietnam veteran and member of Oakwood.

“I came here, and everything changed because I have friends. I try to remember their names, but they don’t mind if I forget,” he said.

It’s also a place where Randy and others are given the opportunity to focus on building connections and making friends with those who know what it’s like, a brief break from the realities of the diseases they’re navigating.

“It’s important to know that other people care and that they know I’m going through the same thing they are,” said another member.

Karin Boyle started the Dolly Star Foundation after her father ended up in a memory care facility following heart surgery. She said her dad, a longtime farmer, seemed to respond in a positive way to his cattle.

“We go out almost every weekend to a facility, if not two,” Boyle said. “She (Dolly) is requested all over the place.”

Dolly visits children’s hospitals, memory care and rehab facilities, and senior living homes.

“I knew it was going to help so many more people,” she said. “People who grew up around agriculture start remembering that feeling. Memories start to come back.”

That impact was seen firsthand at Oakview.

One resident apparently remembered that he, too, worked on a dairy farm.

“They paid us pretty well, too,” he said.

For Lawless, that’s the goal — helping these seniors bond with one another through unique shared experiences.

“There’s nothing that replaces the engagement and friendship of having a community you belong to,” she said.

Being a nonprofit, donations are a crucial way to sustain the program and its efforts. You can visit dollystarfoundation.com for more information or to make a donation.

By Cameron Polom, ABC 15.