Have you seen the previews for the new movie entitled, "A Dog's Purpose"? From the previews I have a suspicion it will be a movie I want to watch and that I will most likely cry and laugh all the way through it. There have been many dog's that have come through Green Meadow Farm over the last seventeen years and almost every one of them has taken a piece of my heart with them. I love dogs, they always look at you as if you are the greatest thing ever and it's almost like all they really want in life is to make you happy with them. Our first dog happened long before the farm, it was Jared's dog. When he was about eighteen months old he asked for a dog. He was going through chemo and had just lost his right eye to cancer, of course he was going to get a dog! The problem was no matter how many dogs we looked at there was never a Harley. Yes, the name came before the dog. Now, I had purposefully avoided the pet store in the mall, because my loving husband had said he would NEVER buy a mall dog. To be fair I didn't really think it was a great idea either. But, as fate would have it I did not get by the pet store fast enough one day and lo, and behold Jared yells out "Harley!", and that was it. Harley was a blonde cock-a-poo at the mall pet store. I don't remember how much we paid for Harley. I do remember that Keith's parents chipped in half to buy him and that he came complete with a load of worms, kennel cough, and a few other health issues, that took quite a few vet visits to clear up. We tried to let Harley live in the house, but me and Harley had differing opinions on where he should sleep, so he went outside and came inside to play with Jared. Harley was very dedicated to his boy. Even though he was far to old for the adventures the boys went on when we moved out here he would follow them through swamps and thickets, until his long coat was so entangled that the boys would come get me to cut him out of a thicket of briars. Once free he would continue following. He saved them from a Cotton mouth before we moved out here, they were playing in a wading pool on the patio and Harley was in the fence and having a absolute fit. I finally went over and laid on the ground where he was barking to see what he was looking at and heading straight for the pool was a three to four foot long cotton mouth. Keith got the hoe and I grabbed the boys and put them in the house. Harley had put up such a fuss that the snake had turned an headed toward him instead of the water. What followed was a battle royale, between Keith with a dull hoe and a snake that was determined to win, and I was trying to hold Harley back and the boys were pressed against the door. The snake finally lost. If Harley didn't like you and I didn't know you, you were likely to be asked to leave. Harley would go blackberry picking with us and he learned to pick the berries somehow, however, he always ate what he picked. :) He also learned to say "FOOOO-oooo-oood", which he would greet us with every morning. Harley lived a long and happy life and is buried just outside the picket fence under the witch hazel tree. I've always thought of him as a gift to Jared from God, but he was a gift to all of us, a wonderful, loyal, loving part of our family. Tomorrow I will try to write about the next dog, which was Aaron's dog, Lucky the beagle.