Holly Reynolds may be 100 years old, but you wouldn’t know it upon meeting her. The enthusiastic activist has dedicated nearly her entire life to animals, following the adoption of her first dog Dandy after the war in 1947. And she isn’t done yet. She doesn’t need a MacBook or Siri or even a car to accomplish her goals, as she spends hours on her floral couch with her phone receiver pressed to her ear spreading the word about legislation regarding animal welfare.

“I call PULS Line every day to check on bills and keep track of legislation,” says Reynolds, who founded local animal rights organizations the Capital Area Animal Welfare Society and the Coalition of Louisiana Animal Advocates. “You don’t know how much the little things you do can accomplish.”

Reynolds has also been at the head of debates such as that of Candy the chimpanzee. After years of fighting for her relocation to a sanctuary, and Candy’s subsequent passing, Reynolds still reaches out to television networks hoping for deeper investigation into the lively chimp’s story.

“It’s about what’s right,” says Reynolds as she recalls loading up her car with a bamboo stick and marshmallows for her nearly daily visits to Candy’s cage. “For people who think they’ll be too emotional to get involved, all I can say is that, it’s hard, but you have to learn not to be. You have to be strong to make real change.”

Read the full story of Reynolds’ life and legacy in the January issue of inRegister, on newsstands now.