changes

So, originally when I started this blog, I thought I would just hike various places in Connecticut with Harvey and my other dogs and sort of review them here. Seemed like a good idea, except for three things...

1) Friggin Harvey hates the summer time. HATES IT. He also hates winter. And rain. So there are only about four days a year that he enjoys being outside for any length of time. I bought him a Ruff Wear Swamp Cooler to try to make summer hiking a little easier for him, and it does keep him cool, but he's still not interested in exerting too much energy when it's hot and humid (unless there's swimming involved).

In fact just this weekend I was walking my three dogs. It was probably seventy degrees out, but nice and breezy (again, Otis is a MALAMUTE mix- he is NOT made for heat and he was doing just fine) and Harvey kept dragging me towards the grass. Harvey is a very polite walker most of the time and only pulls when he sees another dog, a friend to greet, or when he really has to relieve himself. No dogs or smiling faces in sight, so, figuring he has to poop, I followed him up to the grass. He just stood there. No sniffing or posturing to go to the bathroom. Just stood there looking at me. Annoyed, I "let's go"-ed him and continued along. Not fifty feet later he did the same thing again. And again after that. I finally realized that what he was doing was dragging me into the SHADE.
2) Harvey is a fascinating pet. He makes friends with everyone everywhere and his fan club includes everyone from little kids to old ladies to golden retriever pups in need of a role model to lifelong dog haters and people who are petrified of pitbulls. He oozes personality (and when he shakes his head it splatters all over my walls!) and his universal appeal never ceases to amaze me. He is the fifth dog I've had in my life and he has an amazing host of followers. So I have decided to blog about Harvey the dog and his adventures in general. For a dog, he has a lot of adventures...

Just this month he's been skunked:



highlighted:


abandoned:


he's eaten a brand new out-of-the-bag tags-still-on-it bra


spent an afternoon in a bar, where he befriended waitresses, bouncers, grizzled bikers, and a couple of strippers.


and today he befriended our plumber and then my hairdresser's five-year-old daughter who spent her afternoon barking orders at him which he reluctantly followed. She made him roll over so many times, the room is probably still spinning. when she left she announced "Harby is a good dog, but I don't like him. He's too drooly."

so here he is, and here's his life. He goes for his CGC and TDI testing on Thursday. Fingers crossed!