Harley

We had always wanted a black lab, and really favored female dogs.  We went to visit a breeder east of San Francisco as we were living in California at the time.  Upon arriving at the breeders, we found four puppies in the barn stall.  The two black labs were both boys and were pouncing and rolling on each other in in the hay.  The devil’s horns were coming out of their little heads.  The two females were chocolate labs and they set in the corner like little angels calm, and with the halos hanging over their heads.  We spent forever going back and forth over our desire for a black lab and the rowdiness and gender of the black labs over the sweet nature and female gender of the chocolates.  In the end, we decided on the runt, black, male lab who came into our lives in November of 2002.  Harley got his name because my husband wanted a Harley motorcycle.  Due to Harley’s rough playfulness and sheer strength to control, my husband often teased he should have gotten the motorcycle.  Harley beat out more than one trainer in trying to corral his spirit.  One even told us, he was one of the two hardest dogs she ever had to train.  In the end, he won and we accepted him as he was, just like he accepted us as we were. From California to Colorado, Harley has been with us every step of the way for almost 11 years.  He was a true lab, wanting to be by our side every moment, to be in the water, to walk (or should I say run) and to play with his beloved blue ball.  Even in the last few months as his back legs were giving out, his face was always happy, always being our Harley loving each of us unconditionally. About 15 minutes after we got home from Home to Heaven, it poured and thundered.  I told my husband that the angels were sad for us, and that Harley hated the thunder.  My husband said it was Harley creating ruckus in Heaven with our other pets.  Then the sun came out and I knew he was at peace, as he was just in so much pain.  He will be waiting for us at the log cabin next to the lake in Heaven with our other pets, as well as my sister’s pets. To say to him, “good-by until we meet again” was the hardest thing.  Our family and our home will never be the same.  He is truly missed. Clyde, Debbie and Shelby Dean