Happy Birthday Harley!!

In August it will be two years since we got our precious puppy. We found her on craigslist for $100 and decided to give her a new home despite, how very shy she was, and the horrible living situation she was coming from.

When we met the girl to check out Harley, we basically were told she doesnt do anything but lay around. 

They never gave her toys, treats, love, and to say the least they had her eating the WORST dog food you could ever feed a new puppy!

Harley (named shade then) was so scared of us (still is very scared of EVERYTHING), she basically refused to go to us, but when I got her and took her to the front yard and tried to play with her, she nudge just a bit and it was enough for me to say give her a chance.

Harley. She is a black, golden retriever lab mix and is about the sweetest thing you will ever meet. She is kind, gently, mellow, loves to play, eat, and get lots of treats.

She adores her baby Paisley!

Today she turns two! She was the BEST $100 we ever spent and we have been through hell and back with this little girl.

Back in October (a week after moving to a new place), got scared and ran away. I thought she would come back that night but we spent hours and hours looking for her (in the pouring rain) and to no avail she was gone. I thought we would never see her again. My heart was sick and so broken hearted when Harley went missing. Its a feeling that I never want to experience. For 19 days straight we spent day and evening searching and looking for our lost puppy. I placed ads on Craigslist, posted on FB, posted ads in the newspaper, on sherriff websites, checked humane societys, checked shelters and posted flyers and signs everywhere in our area. I truly had believed after a week that she was gone for good, but we prayed and we prayed hard for her to be safe and for us to find her. After several weeks, a lady had spotted her on her way to work a mile north of where we live. So we checked that area constantly. We drove for our hours calling her name, taking her doggie friends with us to help get her to come out. Phone calls came in almost every day saying they had seen her in a preserve and she was living there. Every time she came out we would go place her food in the places she had been seen so she could eat. A few days before we found her, someone sent us a pic of her roaming around near a little pond. So with the help of my father and mother in law and their dog, Nevada. 

We set out on a Saturday morning to see if we could get her in the swamp area where she had been seen all week. I prayed we would find her before the vet closed at noon. We left a little before 11 that morning. My husband and father in law went to one end and my mother in law and I went to the other end. We called her. Set out food and shortly after, she came right up to us and because I got so excited she ran towards the area my husband was in. We called quickly, as I cried, and moments later my husband had spotted her and picked her up. We had found Harley by 11:30 that morning after many, many (LONG) attempts previously and 19 days later, our puppy was safe and sound! She was home and she was so happy! 

Morning we found her

We took her to the vet and despite the millions of ticks, a few fleas, and a lot of weight loss she was perfect! After being gone for 19 days in a swamp nonetheless and with alligators, racoons, snakes, bobcats, wild boars, and other nasty creatures it was a miracle she was in such great shape and ALIVE!! 

We were determined to find her and never gave up. I am so glad we were persistent because it paid off! 

Harley is part of our family! Dont know what we would ever do without her, because that time we were apart was the worst few weeks of my life!

Happy 2nd Birthday Harley Jane! We love you!!