Harley's Last Blog: 2012

June 17, 2000 to September 19, 2012

Hey guys, hi .... it's me Harley Davidson Dawg or just Harley or Buddy or HD to my friends.

I know by now you have heard that I have gone to doggie heaven - and what a glorious place it is! There are more wonderful smells, new friends to meet, but best of all I feel GREAT!

You're probably surprised to hear from me but Jo thought she needed to do this; she called it ther-a-pu-tic, whatever that means! I know I look pretty goofy in this picture but that's the way I was most of the time - goofy.

Did you hear the story about how I got my name. Seems that the "bigwigs" at Jo's work were all going through a second childhood and buying Harley motorcycles , so Jo thought that Harley Davidson Dawg would be a good name for me so she could say she bought a Harley too (BOL*). (*If you remember from my trip blog, BOL is like LOL but with a "BARK" in front of it.)

I came to live with Dick and Jo when I was just a pup (BOL) and they picked me above all others! I must say I was quite spoiled but then that equates to love in doggie speak. Here are a few pics of me as a youngster ... wasn't I cute. It's no wonder that Dick and Jo fell in love with me! We I came to live with them they also had another Schipperke named Niki. She was a sweetheart and we loved to romp and play.

Enjoying My First Cigar

See I'm NOT the Only Goofy One in the Family

See, how could they resist me! We lived on a big farm (well it was big to me!) with funny looking critters called llamas. I was scared of them for awhile, especially the time that they chased me into the pond. But soon we became friends.

Me and TicTac

Well I was always loveable but sometimes I wasn't very likeable. Let's see ... Dick and Jo didn't think I'd live to be an adult cause I was such an ornery puppy. I destroyed so many things like ... the drywall in the laundry room and the spa cover twice. They finally had to buy an aluminum one (BOL). And then there was the time I tangled with a black and white critter called a skunk - whooeee did I smell bad. One time Jo sat on the kitchen floor and removed 18 ticks from my belly and another time, in Florida, I got something called fleas and, again, she patiently sat on the kitchen floor with alcohol, vaseline and cotton swabs removing them one by one.

I loved playing outside with Dylan. He would chase me and throw the ball for me, which I always ignored; but it was great fun watching him fetch it for me (BOL).

Dylan and Me

Things I wasn't too crazy about .... Cats (they liked to chase me), water, and, well, let's see, I guess that's about all.

When I was about six, Dick and Jo moved from the farm into the city. Well, not quite the city, but we didn't have those crazy critters any more! And then Dick and Jo did a thing they called "re-tire-ment." They said it was about doing those things that you always wanted to do. I thought they meant like taking naps during the day but they meant doing things like traveling - and travel we did!

Wickenburg

I Told You Dick, You Made a Wrong Turn

Me n Dick Driving

Sometimes I Had to Share My Seat with Jo

It was so much fun riding in the big house on wheels! And we went soooo many places, making new friends and seeing the sights. It was during one of these trips that I was introduced to the beach. WOW, did I mention how much I loved the beach. There were birds and waves to chase, but I really didn't like the water that much cause I fell in a pond when I was just a pup. But oh the beach, with the sand between your toes, and all the good smells and I could run and run and run.

I never even knew there were such things as "doggie beaches" just for me! Sometimes the sand got a little hot but there was always shade under Jo's chair. One time we even went to the beach to watch something called a "Space Shuttle" launch. I'm not sure what they were so excited about...