by Rae Henneman
On January 27th, 2026, Schmeeckle felt the loss of our long-term frog ambassador, Hilde. Hilde was an American Bullfrog that was in our care for over 16 years! Living 7-10 years in the wild, our girl survived well into old age. From her evil stares to her size, she was certainly an attention getter. Often the attention of families who would say “that is the BIGGEST frog I have EVER seen” in that specific inflection.
While she didn’t always show it to strangers, she had a fiery personality that I could only describe as “plotting our demise,” deeming her cave her “evil lair.” When I first started working here four years ago, I was terrified of her.
The method of feeding was placing the food on the back of your gloved hand and letting her jump at you. I had to beg Melissa (Schmeeckle’s outreach coordinator) to help me out with it. By the end, I was the one training new staff how to feed her and clean her tank. The relationship between Hilde and me certainly evolved over time. Have no fear, she was sassy until the very end, even, if not especially, with me.
Staff felt her loss immediately. Being the ones to care for her by feeding her, cleaning her tank, or even just misting it, created a special connection between us and her. I feel almost certain she felt no affection for us, but we certainly felt it for her, even if it was one-sided. Visitors slowly discovering her loss hit us hard. A mother and her young son had come in just to see her, and it hurt my heart to tell them she was no longer with us. We’ve had people visit from out of state and say that she was who they look forward to seeing each time they visit.
Chris Thompson, board member and herp rescuer extraordinaire, came to us soon after Hilde’s passing with a wonderful surprise: a rescued leopard frog. Caught and pulled in, the frog was being sold as bait alongside minnows. Saving this frog from a fish bite, Chris brought her to us here at the visitor center. He came over to me pulling a cup out of his jacket and I jumped for joy when I saw who had finally arrived: a juvenile leopard frog.
After careful consideration and a poll of the public and staff, we settled on a name: Dottie. This sweetheart burrowed her way into our hearts immediately. She is much smaller and harder to find than Hilde was, so not all visitors have fallen in love with her just yet, but we are head over heels.
From her cute little face to her tendency to be in strange locations in even stranger positions, she makes me smile on the daily. The next time you stop into the Schmeeckle Visitor Center, look for Dottie in her tank. Her common haunts are next to her filter and behind the plant in the back left corner.
