CARROLLTON -- For residents of Carrollton and those who work in offices around the historic square, Bolt, a black and white Jack Russell Terrier, was the town’s best friend. He visited local businesses and government offices daily in search of treats, and while he wasn’t visiting his many friends, he was likely dozing in his designated chair inside Carrollton Town Hall.
Monday morning, Bolt passed away.
“His heart just gave out,” said Linda McGregor, Bolt’s co-caretaker. “He was 10 years old.”
Bolt came to Carrollton to live with the family of Patty and Danny Beck, and soon, he had made friends with almost everyone in town.
“He was the town dog,” McGregor said. “We would go around town for treats.”
McGregor, who retired in 2019 as town clerk for the Town of Carrollton, sought approval from the mayor and board of aldermen to allow Bolt a bed at town hall.
“I had to get it approved from the city board,” she said. “And he stayed with me there until I retired.”
One day, Bolt followed McGregor home, and he did it again and again. Soon he had two residences at McGregors’ and the Becks’, and he would travel back and forth between the two.
“He spent the last year with me [at night] and would go to town when he wanted,” McGregor said. “He had a heated bed, a cooling pad, and his own La-z-boy recliner.”
When Bolt’s health began to fail last week, McGregor and Patty Beck made the difficult decision together to end his suffering. Losing Bolt broke both of their hearts.
Many hearts around Carrollton were broken at the loss of Carrollton’s own dog-about-town. However, he was certain to earn a smile as he went door-to-door in search of treats.
