Giving Thanks Day 18 ~ Puppy Love

“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.” ― John Grogan, Marley and Me ~ Today, I am thankful and truly grateful for our dog Harley. Two years ago, a dog was dropped off in our neighborhood. The family that found him attempted for two months to locate his owner, took him to the SPCA and shelter, posted flyers, and sent out messages via our HOA newsletter. One evening while we were eating dinner, we get a knock on our door. There was a man with this gorgeous reddish golden haired dog on a leash asking us did we know who the owner was, he was attempting to go door to door at this point. We instantly fell in love with this dog, and said if no one claims him we will take him. We asked why they weren't keeping the dog and he said they have 5 rescue dogs now and his wife said "no more". Later that evening we get a phone call saying would be willing to take the dog, and that they would take the dog to be cleared that he would be good with children. We left to go to the beach later that night. All along the drive we thought of names for our dog. This beautiful dog, with no name, we didn't even know how old he was! We passed a Harley Davidson Shop and the first name we thought of was Harley. We posted on facebook to help us name our dog. There were lots of creative and great names....and with us not knowing what his previous name once was, we decided that the name should end on and "e" sound in hopes that we wouldn't confuse him. When we got home from the beach we waited but no phone call about the dog came. Elliott was saddened as he was hoping for a dog from Santa. Our Yorkie, Bailey, was not in the best health....blind, deaf and only a few teeth...she was 12 years and dramatically showing her age. We didn't know if the dog did not pass the clearance for being around kids or if the people that found her decided to keep her. We were looking forward to having this dog.........when finally a call came in and Harley was brought to our house. We were not prepared for him, our little dog had little leashes, little dishes, and a little dog bed. Bailey quickly established she was the the boss and Harley clearly thought she was just a new toy for him. We bought him a huge dish to eat out of, and Bailey quickly claimed it...making Harley eat out of her little porcelain dish. We introduced Harley to the wireless fence and bought him a leash. We took him on his first walk...and tug of war experience where to this day I think one of my arms is slightly longer than the other! We've had holes dug, lots of jumping up, flower beds destroyed, dog beds shredded, dog toys demolished...We joke all the time that we have the dog that acts just like Marley in the movie Marley and Me. All in all, our family received a wonderful pet that is now a part of our family....He gave our family new life in many ways, the kids an added responsibility, and even Bailey perked up and bless her little furry self she is still with us and going strong for a 14 year old! So today not only are we thankful for Harley, but all our pets our family has known over the years. There are certain pets that we have owned that have infused themselves into our lives and have become and extension of our being. The pet that we recall with a deep fondness, ones we grew up with, helped us to grow, and taught us far more than anything we could have taught them....for Cooper and Elliott, Harley is that kind of pet ♥