Ode to Harley

 I would really rather not be writing this post...but it is what it is and sometimes life sucks.  We knew Harley was getting old and that his time would come.  But the fact that I didn't get to say goodbye is KILLING me.  

Harley came into our lives at a crucial time for me.  My parents had recently divorced and I needed something.  I took care of Harley like he was my first baby (and he was).  I stayed up with him all night and stayed home from school for a few days to get him used to our house.

And he was the cutest little puppy ever.  Even when he was eating our plants.

Harley was soooo smart.  I taught him all of his tricks like sit, stay, etc in one day.  We did hand signals with all of his tricks as well.  He LOVED to play fetch and was freakishly obsessed with tennis balls.

He was a shy little guy.  Scared of thunder, large crowds, loud things.  But if someone went after one of us girls it was game over.  We always felt safe with him around.

We got white carpet in our upstairs so Harley was supposed to be banned to the basement.  Until my mom left and then me and him played upstairs.  He he he.

Harley had to endure some dressing up of course.  He didn't mind.

I shared my twin bed with Harley.  It got tight when he started weighing more than I did.  But I squished so he was comfy.

Even though he was way bigger than Ginger she owned him from the very beginning.  If he did something bad she would bite his mouth and hang on.

 Harley was my bestest friend.  He helped me more than I ever knew at the time.  When I went off to school he moved in with Larry  and I got replaced.  It was Larry's time to need him as a best friend.

 But our reunions were oh so sweet.  And Harley loved Jonas.

 My first Christmas after starting college I had to get my wisdom teeth out and Harley had to have his second leg surgery.  We slept together on the floor in the basement and moaned in pain.

I would always buy Harley a squeaky toy when I went on vacation and then every Christmas.  He would freak out and run around squeaking the toy non-stop.  DROVE LARRY CRAZY!  i am going to have to keep the tradition alive with Hadley I guess.

One time I took Harley in the X-terra hiking and when we got back we realized we had a problem.  Because of his bad back legs he couldn't jump out and i couldn't lift him out.  So we hung out in the back of the car for a few hours until we were rescued.

Seriously is he not the cutest?

 Harley loved laying on soft things.  Even if he didn't really fit.  He stayed with us a lot in our house and you could hear him wherever he would go because his tail would hit both sides of the wall.

 Jib loved Harley so much.  He was his idol.  I'm not sure what JIb is going to do when we go to my parents next.

 And of course miss Hadley.  This makes me the most sad because she won't remember him.  He was SOOO good with her.  Just let her crawl all over him and pull on his toes and fur.

 He loved her.

 I just wish I could give him one more squeeze.  But it wouldn't be enough.

Yes, I could go on and on and on.  Harley was a lifesaver for me.  I can't stop crying thinking about how amazing he was.

He lived a good life.  Love you Harley.