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!

Heeeeeeeeeere's Harvey!

Harvey is the kind of dog everybody loves. He makes friends wherever he goes, and is the kind of pit bull (mix) who makes pit bull haters say "he's what kind of dog?" in disbelief and pit bull fanciers say "of course he is". He's a lover. Loves people, loves kids.

Harvey is also the kind of dog who makes his owners want to tear their hair out. He's a terrier, through and through. Stubborn, active, impulsive, tenacious, bossy, driven, and brazen... he lives fully in the moment and never thinks anything through before doing it. He drives other dogs nuts with his insistence that they play with him- his games- his way. And if they get mad at him- well, he's just as happy to squabble with them. Any attention is good attention and a good fight is as much fun as a good game!

He had a rough start as many dogs do, but he's on his way now. He had two luxating patella surgeries (one on each knee) a couple of years ago, but both legs are strong and stable, and he tears around on them like there was never a problem. He's a far cry from the little dog who would leap off the back steps and land with an 'oof' on his belly because his knees would give out under him.

Being such a solidly built high energy dog, Harvey can take- and requires- a lot of exercise. He loves car rides, swimming, meeting people, and going to new places. As a result he's decided to spend some time investigating the many great hiking destinations in Connecticut and the surrounding states. We'll document his findings and his adventures here.

He's pretty excited to get started.