On the day Best Friends talks to Holly Williams by phone, the singer and songwriter sounds a bit harried. Knowing how vigorous her career is, one could easily presume that it’s because she’s busy lining up concerts, promoting a soon-to-released album, or running her own clothing store in her hometown of Nashville, or all of the above. But none of these prove to be the case.

Rather, Williams has just the day before rescued a puppy from the euthanasia list at the Henry County, Tennessee shelter, and has been trying to help the puppy shed his fear of people, ridding the dog of fleas and ticks, and finding him a home.

“Every time I’m up there visiting my father, I try to get some dogs on the [euthanasia] list,” she says. “If I could have taken all the dogs on the list yesterday, I would have. But there were 18 of them, and I have a small apartment with no yard.”

For the last two years, Williams has been a one-woman rescue around Nashville, saving numerous homeless dogs from kill shelters, trailer parks, roadsides, or wherever else she finds them in between her time on tour.

That kind of do-it-yourself, independent ethos echoes with how Williams is forging her own sound and carving out a name for herself in the music industry—not an easy thing to do when your name is attached to one of the most renowned dynasties in the industry. Holly’s father is Hank Williams Jr. and her grandfather is, of course, Hank Williams Sr. Holly’s half-brother is Hank Williams III, a fixture in the alt-country music scene.

A kinship with Best Friends

It is easy to understand then, given her audacious spirit, how Williams would find a kinship with Best Friends. “I like that Best Friends is so hands-on, and has an independent spirit,” she says. Williams is now joining with Best Friends to bring about a time of No More Homeless Pets, so there are no more dogs she’ll have to rescue from “the list.”

Williams is helping in a number of ways, first by participating in our Give the Gift program, which encourages members and supporters of Best Friends to purchase memberships for friends, family, loved-ones, whomever. As part of our 25th anniversary celebration, the goal of the program is to double Best Friends’ membership by the end of this year.

Williams also has shot several public service announcements for Best Friends, including one promoting Give the Gift and another urging her fans to support Best Friends’ campaign to shut down the puppy-mill trade.

“When I was younger I would hear about puppy mills, but I didn’t understand what that meant,” she says. “But I’ve done some research and been shown the horrors of it. It’s now something super close to my heart.”

The turning point

Williams’ dedication to improving the lives of dogs began in 2006, the year she was in a car accident that nearly killed her and her sister. 

“After that, having all my limbs saved, I wanted to help [others] in any way I can, and dogs became my passion.” A few months after the accident, Williams got, for the first time as an adult, a big lab named Alfie, whom she adopted from a local shelter.

“I know this sounds ignorant, but I never realized that dogs had such independent personalities. I didn’t know they could be so much like people. Within a week, I just fell in love with him, and I felt like we could talk, even though he’s a dog. It was after I got him I realized that when dogs are suffering, they know they’re suffering. I realized they have feelings like everyone else.”

With that, Williams began rescuing

“It all started with a sign saying free puppies…,” she says. “These animals were all running across the road. No one was watching over them. There were six baby black labs, and I just threw them all into the back of my car. I carried them around to the hair salon, to my record label, my clothing store, to friends’ houses. …It was definitely a big leap of faith.”

With the help of friend Carrie Headden, who had also never done a dog rescue, Williams got each of the puppies medical care, rid them of ticks and fleas, and found all them good homes. One of those puppies, Oliver, stayed with Williams and Alfie.

Williams will be giving the gift of membership to Headden for helping her wrangle puppies. And as part of that Give the Gift contribution, Williams will also be “passing it on,” by leaving copies of Best Friends magazine in a conspicuous place, someplace where an animal lover might happen to thumb through the magazine and feel compelled to join our cause. She will be leaving those copies at her clothing store in Nashville, called, “H. Audrey.”

As our conversation was winding up, Williams mentioned that she was about to visit Bonaparte’s Retreat, a small dog sanctuary that musical legend Emmylou Harris runs out of her backyard.

“She’s definitely a huge inspiration, for everything she’s done for animals,” Williams says. And it’s in Harris’ footsteps Williams wishes to go—not necessarily musically, but in one day being able to rescue even more dogs.

As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.