Always curious, Harvey liked to keep his nose to the ground in search of his next big adventure. A loyal dog, he never met a stranger he didn’t like. In his younger days he loved to venture out on his own to explore new territory – often needing a ride home.
His outgoing personality made him instant friends with the neighbors. He never thought twice about the dangers of crossing the (very busy) street to welcome the new arrivals at the dog kennel. Having been a guest a time or two himself, he knew the owners well.
Never one to complain, Harvey once laid quietly with a broken leg for hours until we found him. Always happy to see you, he was a good listener until he lost his hearing about a year ago.
On Friday, Harvey went to see a Veterinarian because he was experiencing difficulty breathing. He was excited about the car ride, got himself all brushed up and smiled all the way to town with the window down.
Because of Covid-19, the animal clinic provided curbside drop off service. Harvey went in while we waited outside for the Vet a call.
When the call came in, the thought of Harvey’s goofy grin and wagging tail brought on a flood of tears as she calmly explained the possibilities and probabilities of his diagnosis, While treatment options are available, there is no cure. A diagnosis almost always carries a poor prognosis.
As I blubbered on about what a good boy he is, the Veterinarian listened to my concerns, addressed quality of life issues, offered words of understanding, explained what the next steps would look like, got her assistant on the phone to “witness” the conversation and accepted my verbal authorization to let Harvey go.
There was a moment of silence. I felt like I couldn’t breath – overcome with emotion too difficult to put into words.
And then she said “I can tell Harvey is a sweet soul. I know this is unusual, but what do you think about me taking Harvey home tonight. Love on him, give him a lot of belly rubs over the weekend, and then could bring him back on Monday. Kinda like a last hurrah. Does he get along with other dogs? (Yes). Does he like cats – well, at his age I don’t think he can chase them anyway. How do you feel about that?”
I started to cry again. I said he would love that! We talked for maybe a minute more. I must have said thank you half a dozen times.
Farewell Harvey! Look at you … on to the next big adventure!
