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Harley Davidson

JaneB

Well-known member
Didn't know whether to post this under ". . . friends" or under "rescue" but here goes.

My mom had a dear little poodle, Percy, that she had taken in after his family could no longer keep him. 14 love filled years later, Percy made the trip to the Rainbow Bridge. Since that time, nearly 2 years, I have been trying to find the perfect match for her. Mom is 84 years old and in fair health but has difficulty walking distances and isn't always real steady on her feet, so we needed a little guy that wouldn't drag her. After many unsuccessful and frustrating attempts with several rescue groups (mom has no fenced in yard, no other pets) I had almost given up. Anyhow, when my daughter-in-law, granddaughter and I went to visit her a couple of weeks ago, I thought we might as well give it one more try and visit the Humane Society a few miles away. "Lo and behold," a 3 year old Japanese Chin had been turned in just that morning. But, by the time I turned around and made it to the adoption desk, he had been adopted. :( As we were leaving, pretty well bummed out, my granddaughter spotted a Schnauzer in one of the pens - just like hers at home! The post on his cage said "owner relinquished because of excessive barking." As that is not one of my favorite breeds AND he was a "barker," I had passed him by. Meghan insisted on taking him for a walk and we discovered him to be a perfect gentleman with a very calm disposition. Needless to say, we filled out paperwork and picked him up the following morning after he had gotten the all clear from the vet. His only health issues were dry skin due to prior excessive matting and he needed his teeth cleaned. Harley Davidson has been with mom now for 2 weeks and has yet to bark for the first time. He is totally housebroken, goes to his bed at 10:30 like he has an internal clock; won't get on your lap unless asked and walks quietly on his leash!!! He also knows all the basic doggie commands. A totally awesome dog! He is all mom can talk about now, she is so thrilled; her husband is smitten as well. Guess it's true, timing is everything. We were at the right place at the right time. Harley has given my mom a new lease on life. :lotsaluv: I thought I'd share a couple of pics from his first day at his new home. :flwr:

JaneB
PS My sister has a Harley Davidson Motorcycle and had given mom a t-shirt from the 2005 Sturgis rally. We made her wear it in honor of her "Harley." Is that funny or what?!? :lol:

Am I cute or what??
Harleysfirstdayhome.jpg


Aren't I handsome??
Harleys1stdayhome.jpg


Harley and my mom
HarleyandMom.jpg
 
He's adorable!!! They look very happy :D
I'm currently researching a Miniature Schnauzer for our 2nd dog!
 
That is such a great story -- cl*p He sounds like a fantastic dog. I have always had a soft spot for schnauzers too.

and has yet to bark for the first time.

You know, this is why I sometimes feel shelters shouldn't post things that owners say when they surrender dogs. People will say *anything* about an animal they simply don't want any more and sometimes what they say can unintentionally make it very hard to rehome the animal. I bet if he did bark, it was due to having been left alone and thus boredom, or else, he was excessively stimulated by something like seeing a neighbour's cat. He may never have barked much but maybe even minor barking was excessive barking' for that owner. Who knows. We all know how different people's perceptions are of 'problems' in pet animals.

I know sometimes you can really only go on what a previous owner says, but it would be nice if shelters could get someone in to assess dogs before they are homed. This would be a great volunteer project for professional dog behaviouralists in the region! What if this guy had been stuck there for ever because no one wanted a barky dog? I am so glad your timing was so perfect and your granddaughter so persuasive!! :lol:
 
karlin said:
You know, this is why I sometimes feel shelters shouldn't post things that owners say when they surrender dogs. People will say *anything* about an animal they simply don't want any more and sometimes what they say can unintentionally make it very hard to rehome the animal.

What a neat story!! Your mom looks and sounds like a real trooper.

Yes, Karlin, I am very much finding this to be the case in rescue. I was told that Rusty marked in the house, got into the trash and was an escape artist. Hmmm...we had no problems with any of these issues. My feeling was that he simply wasn't wanted anymore but no one wanted to admit it so they made up some excuses for him.

I was really concerned by the statement that he marked in the house. That was the "main" reason for giving him up. So not an issue!!
 
Harley is so very cute. So glad the perfect dog found your Mom. And I must say she is a very young looking 84!!! Hope she and Harley share many love filled years together.
 
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