# Meet Harley, the newest member of our family...



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

This is Harley, our newest addition... We're not quite sure what kind he is, but we think he's some sort of shepherd/husky or shepherd/chow mix

















This poor little guy was found wandering our neighborhood on Sunday.... The kids found him down by the playground and saw one of the other neighbors kick (literally) the pup off the porch, so they brought him home... My first reaction was NO, NO MORE ANIMALS! but then I saw those eyes and I melted... Once I got past the eyes, I saw his hair was falling out, he was half starved, covered in ticks and had tons of flea bites all over his stomach... To be quite honest, I wasn't sure just how sick he was.. He spent the night in our garage getting lots of love from the BRATs, but faced with the prospect of high vet bills and an unknown outcome, I started calling around to the shelters to see if they could take him. My county shelter told me to call Animal Control.. I was hesitant to do that because I was worried they'd just automatically put him down... I couldn't bear the thought.. In the end, I called and spoke with the supervisor. She assured me that they wouldn't put him down. They'd take him to the vet and hold him for 5 days.. After the 5 days, they'd find him a home..

She came by the house a couple of hours later and picked him up.. She took one look at him and said it would take a lot of convincing of his original owners (if they showed up) that he wasn't neglected... They be forced to show proof he was being treated and he'd have to pay the vet bills.... I let her know that if his medical issues weren't major, we'd consider taking him in...

She called me back the very next day and told me that the sheriff decided that he would be better with us and that he would waive the waiting period... They'd pay for his first and 2nd vet bills and waive any fees associated with adopting him... I told her I'd talk to my husband (in other words, the kids would beg) and I'd get back to her on Wednesday... The kids and I spent the rest of the day debating names... We just knew he'd be coming home with us... sure enough, Dad gave in.. We had a heck of a time finding a name we all agreed on, but finally settled on Harley.. He just looks like a Harley to me.

We picked him up on Thursday and brought him home... We were a little concerned about how the other dogs would react to him (we kept him separated from them on Sunday) but they've managed far better than expected.. only 2 minor scuffles and one was over a game of tug-of-war.

Here's a shot of him stretched out sleeping... you can see where almost all the hair is gone from his stomach and some of the sores on his legs. He had just eaten dinner and had a really, really fully belly in this picture... He's pretty scrawny and needs to get some meat on his bones.










And here's a picture of my middle daughter with all 3 dogs this morning.. The black one is a miniature dachshund and the gold one is a standard dachshund, so you can see that he's not too big and I don't *think* he's going to get huge (hopefully)










Harley slept the night through in his crate last night... no whining and no accidents.... He is so laid back.. perfectly happy to lay down on the blanket and chew on his bones and toys... he's barely barked at all and so far he's not jumping up on anybody... He thinks he's a lap dog and will crawl into the closest lap and flop.. He's so itchy he just loves to be scratched and rubbed as much as possible.. and with 6 of us in the house, there's always someone giving him love and rubs...

We've already discovered he doesn't like cheese, but loves and I mean LOVES hard boiled eggs... good think I cooked so many for Easter...


----------



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Aaaawwww ... the cross-eyed puppy .... boo boo boo boo booooo


----------



## Margaret (Jan 1, 2010)

Very cute, congratulations!


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

hi harley!


----------



## Guest (Apr 23, 2011)

Aww very cute!


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Will the book be titled "Harley and He"? 

(sorry)


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

NogDog said:


> Will the book be titled "Harley and He"?
> 
> (sorry)


Lol! Didn't think of that.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Sooooo cute.  And I wouldn't count on him being small.  He has some feet to grow into, from the looks of the pics....

Betsy


----------



## Paul G (Apr 9, 2011)

Awwww, you guys are AWESOME!!! He is so cute!


----------



## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Oh my gosh, what a great face!


----------



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Another happy dog adoption! Hi Harley! Jack and Kona say welcome to the family!

Harley is adorable, but I wouldn't count on him being small!

Thanks for giving another worthy dog a good home!


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Sooooo cute. And I wouldn't count on him being small. He has some feet to grow into, from the looks of the pics....
> 
> Betsy


When I say I don't think he'll get too huge, that's in comparison to the 120 pound shepherd we used to have...


----------



## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

What a honey.  They say that we don't pick our dogs, they pick us.  In your case, that was literally true.


----------



## Raffeer (Nov 19, 2008)

The eyes will get you all the time. Congratulations on your addition to the family.


----------



## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

What a sweet face! 

Harley's obviously found himself a great home.


----------



## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Welcome to KB Harley !!

What do you mean ? You don't like cheese !??


----------



## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Adorable! Love those eyes.


----------



## candggmom (Oct 27, 2008)

You and your family are wonderful for taking him in!  I can see why those eyes got to you-they are so pretty!  Welcome Harley to your new life with a loving family and Happy Easter to all!

Kathy in NC


----------



## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Awwww, I wouldn't be able to say no to that little guy, either! What a cutie!


----------



## patrisha w. (Oct 28, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Sooooo cute. And I wouldn't count on him being small. He has some feet to grow into, from the looks of the pics....
> 
> Betsy


 And those ears look very German Shepherd-ish!


----------



## Barbiedull (Jul 13, 2010)

He looks so content with that full tummy and a blanket to sleep on. I'm happy they didn't give him back to his "owner".


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

He's a hoarder... We give the dogs marrow bones (I pick them up fresh from the Amish market every couple of weeks) and Harley has gone around and collected each one of the "leftovers" today and taken them back to his blanket.. I think he found 4 of them   He also grabbed all the toys he could find... He doesn't take any that are in use... he just finds the neglected ones and gives them a new home on his blanket.. Silly boy.

I have to go over every once in a while and redistribute everything.


----------



## Barbiedull (Jul 13, 2010)

Luvmy4brats said:


> He's a hoarder...


 awww...he's just appreciating everything. You made a very happy puppy out of him.


----------



## Michelle Muto (Feb 1, 2011)

OMG! He's adorable! 

Your story got me. Thanks for taking him in. I used to do rescue. Right now, with times so tight, shelters are over full and puppies and kittens are put down all the time. Breaks my heart because I'm such an animal lover. 

I think you're on track about the husky shepard mix. Well, for what's it's worth. Who knows, right?

Enjoy your little one. And thanks again. You're a saint.


----------



## Neo (Mar 30, 2009)

Aaaaaw, he is sooooo cute!!!!!!!! You are going to make him so happy, and I can feel he will make you happy right back  

Totally adorable!


----------



## 2leelou (Feb 24, 2011)

Oh he looks wonderful!  He sure did get lucky when he ended up with you.  Congratulations!


----------



## Ryl (Nov 25, 2010)

Harley is adorable! I'm glad he found a family that will love him and take care of him.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Just a quick update on Harley. We're just back from the vet and she was very pleased with his progress. His hair is starting to grow back on his belly and he's gained nearly 4 pounds! They gave him another treatment of Revolution for his mange, which seems to be clearing up.

She also said that looking at him again, she doesn't think he's part chow... maybe part husky. She recommended one of those doggy DNA tests.

The techs fawned all over him, each one of them slipped his a treat.. Of course he lapped up all of the love, pretending like he's totally neglected here at home.

There was a little dog statue next to the door and he started barking and growling at it... He thought it was a real dog! It was hilarious!


----------



## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Hahaha, thanks for the update!! I once had a kitten that growled at inanimate objects that got in her way. Lamps, chairs, everything.


----------



## sheltiemom (Dec 28, 2008)

Just saw this - what a cute furball!  I am glad he got a loving home!


----------



## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

I love what you have done.  Harley is one lucky dog and I have a feeling that you are one lucky family.


----------



## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Congrats! What a sweetheart. Glad the Revolution is taking care of him. I suspect once he feels better he may not be quite so laid back. *s* Oh, and I wouldn't waste $ on the DNA tests. They're a lot of fun but not particularly accurate, according to a few of my colleagues who have tested 'em on known-heritage mixes.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Amyshojai said:


> Congrats! What a sweetheart. Glad the Revolution is taking care of him. *I suspect once he feels better he may not be quite so laid back. **s* Oh, and I wouldn't waste $ on the DNA tests. They're a lot of fun but not particularly accurate, according to a few of my colleagues who have tested 'em on known-heritage mixes.


Don't burst my bubble...  Actually, other than being itchy, he doesn't seem to feel bad.. He's such a good boy. No accidents in his crate, only barks at the cats, sleeps all night, plays with the other dogs, doesn't run off (I once had a Shiba Inu that was a runner). The vet cleared him to go to obedience training, so we'll most likely start that up within the next week or two... I have to give him a special bath next week, so I'll probably wait until after that.

We also discovered today that he gets carsick...


----------



## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

he is a cutie, but if he is part husky, he may start trouble.  We had a full husky and he would get "bored" and would let himself out to go on walks.  One morning we found him on the roof of our front porch.  He had slept in our room (in the summer, w/ the a/c) and had pushed the accordian plastic bits aside and let himself out.  DH never liked Chewie and after that, I could understand.  All I could think, as we were coaxing him back inside, was if he fell, we wouldn't have the money to have everything fixed.  Luckily, he didn't fall, but that was the last time he slept in our bedroom.


----------



## Val2 (Mar 9, 2011)

The eyes would have done it for me too. Welcome Harley!


----------



## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

What a lucky puppy to have found such a good and caring home after such a sad start in life.


----------



## Michelle Muto (Feb 1, 2011)

It's so good to hear how things are going. Thanks for the update! You gotta love puppies. I can't think of too many thinks that'll bring a smile to my face any quicker than a cute pup.


----------



## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

Harley is adorable and y'all are definitely scoring karma points for taking him in.  Rescues make the best pets!


----------



## cc84 (Aug 6, 2010)

Aww he is extremely cute! He looks a bit like our German Shepherd did when he was a pup.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Alle Meine Entchen said:


> he is a cutie, but if he is part husky, he may start trouble. We had a full husky and he would get "bored" and would let himself out to go on walks. One morning we found him on the roof of our front porch. He had slept in our room (in the summer, w/ the a/c) and had pushed the accordian plastic bits aside and let himself out. DH never liked Chewie and after that, I could understand. All I could think, as we were coaxing him back inside, was if he fell, we wouldn't have the money to have everything fixed. Luckily, he didn't fall, but that was the last time he slept in our bedroom.


That would freak me out! I have a cat that rips open the screens to let himself out, but he's smart enough to only do it to the downstairs windows... He's never done an upstairs one.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)




----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Harley went in for his 2nd set of shots and a check-up today. His vet is very happy with his recovery. He's gained 7 pounds since we found him and his hair is growing back nicely. All of his sores are healed and gone. He's doing so well that he's done with his every 7-10 day checks and now doesn't need to go back for another for weeks (his last set of shots)

We've discovered 2 things:

1. He gets REALLY carsick, so we're going to give the dramamine a try this weekend when he goes for puppy class. 

2. He HATES baths. (and he has to get one every 3-4 days right now) 

He is ABSOLUTELY the sweetest, most laid back dog I have ever had a pleasure of meeting. He becomes fast friends with everybody he meets. He barely barks, is pretty much house trained already, doing good with his puppy classes. He's got "sit" down pat.. now we're learning to use the clicker and walk on a loose-leash (which he does well when there are no distractions).  He's become best buds with our standard-size dachshund, Maverick.. They play tug-of-war all day long with various toys and blankets... He's still not too fond of the cats, and they're REALLY not fond of him... he has a couple of scratches on his nose to prove it.


----------



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Look at that face   How in the hades can you say no to anything looking at that face. 

What a cutie.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Atunah said:


> Look at that face  How in the hades can you say no to anything looking at that face.
> 
> What a cutie.


Luckily, I have lots of practice saying no to cute faces, but it is awfully hard....


----------



## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Oh, he's totally adorable.    No wonder you couldn't resist taking him in - what a lucky puppy.

By the way, when you next see that neighbour that literally kicked him off their porch? Give them a kick from me, will you? Totally unacceptable and unnecessary.


----------

