Holden the Golden takes on his UNC bucket list

UNC’s furriest resident has one semester to finish the rest of his UNC Bucket List.

Holden the Golden, the close companion of senior Caroline Bowers, has a bucket list with 11 items to complete, including high-fiving Roy Williams, drinking a blue cup from He’s Not Here and, finally, graduating with his owner.

So far, Holden has marked No. 1, “Get a Chicken and Cheddar Biscuit from Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen,” and No. 2, “Get a kiss on the 50-yard line in Kenan Memorial Stadium,” off his list.

Holden has an impressive social media presence.

The golden retriever has amassed more than 12,000 Instagram followers and 790 likes on Facebook.

Holden’s Instagram features him doing things a normal college student would do —reading a textbook, playing soccer and interacting with his peers.

In one post, Holden poses dramatically next to a lake.

The caption reads: “When will my reflection show who I am inside? (Lol I’m just a dog who wants to jump in the water).”

But Bowers is trying to get Holden even more involved on campus.

“I want him to be better connected with the UNC community,” Bowers said.

“I try to post on (social media) every day or every other day — just fun and happy things to make people smile.”

Bowers said she and Holden being together is fate.

She wanted to adopt a dog, so she contacted a woman whose dog was about to have a litter of puppies.

She was unsure if she would even get one of the litter. She was seventh on the list, and the mother was very old, but the mother had exactly seven puppies.

The seventh was Holden the Golden, who could fit in the palm of Bowers’ hand the first time they met.

First-year Christian Hand, who has been following Holden’s adventures on Facebook since seeing him at Helping Paws’ Puppy Kissing Booth in the fall, said he loves Holden and his online posts.

“It’s nothing but positivity,” Hand said.

Evan Lindsay is Bowers’ boyfriend and has been helping her raise Holden.

They’ve shared the responsibilities of raising a very energetic golden retriever puppy.

Lindsay helps Bowers whenever she needs a dog walker or someone to keep Holden company.

When asked his opinion, Holden the Golden offered no comment, but did lick the reporter’s face, which can only be interpreted as excitement for his new adventure at UNC.

@liz_ee_beth

arts@dailytarheel.com