Harley

It was a Sunday in November 2001, about 2 months after we put our lab Trump down. My parents, Kevin and I, and Kev's mom and stepdad were at the flea market at the Coliseum. All of us had separated, each looking for our own treasures. Mom comes running up to Kevin and I, she was so excited and we had to come quick.

We follow, trying to guess what she was happy about. Then we see Dad. Holding the cutest, little brown puppy. Dad had sucker written all over him. And he was loving every moment.

They brought Harley home and we all fell in love. Harley was such a cute puppy. He talked to us when he wanted something. He would tug at your arm to get you to feed him or give him a treat.

When Harley was about a year old Mom and Dad had taken him to Virginia for Thanksgiving. When they were ready to leave to drive back to Kansas, they called for Harley. He must have chased a deer and when he ran back across the road, he ran into a car.

Dad picked him up from the middle of the road, thinking that he didn't have a chance. But a trip to the emergency vet, and a long ride back to Kansas and Harley was still ticking. He suffered some brain damage, had a deer in the headlight look for about a month, and lost his voice. He also tore his ACL and had to have surgery.

Harley loved to watch you throw a ball, he would maybe go fetch it once, twice if you were lucky. He enjoyed wading in the lake, but not swimming. Harley loved being a lap dog, even though he was the size of a small pony. He would stretch out so that you could rub his massive belly, and he would keep pawing at you for more. Each time you walked into the house, he would gallop to the door and you would be greeted by a nudge with his nose, right in between the legs.

Mom and Dad always said that Harley was up for adoption, that if they found a good home for him, they would give him away. Truth of the matter is, they could never have done that. Harley was their baby.

Harley has always been a protective dog. With all the kids, he has slept in the bedroom with them when they were napping at Nana and Papa's. If we're swimming, Harley swam right next to them. The kids, especially Claire, my niece, have loved and tormented that dog. They ride him like a horse because after all, he weighed 110 lbs on a light day.

But Harley's protectiveness had started to get to be too much. He wouldn't let anyone in the driveway or yard. That meant the postman, the fedex driver, the yard guys, etc. If he didn't know you, you weren't coming in. He would show his teeth and bark, and with his size, scare people off. He was beginning to become aggressive.

This past Sunday, while trying to get Harley into the garage, he bit Dad. We also learned that Harley had gone after Mom a few times as well. They talked with our vet, who said that his aggressiveness would only get worse with age. My parents knew that they couldn't take the risk of him going after anyone else, much less one of the kids. So today, they made the very difficult decision to put Harley down.

Mom and Dad, know that we think you made the right decision. We know how difficult it is, but you did the right thing. The risks outweigh the benefits. Harley had a great life. He was a part of our family and always will be. Just think, now Harley is playing in Doggie Heaven with Trump...what a combination.