Welcoming Harley to Rainbow Bridge

No dog wants to go to the Bridge.  Even ones that are homeless with no love in their lives, and little chance of finding any, want to stay because all dogs believe that tomorrow will be a better day, even if all evidence points to the contrary.  That is why so many dogs, when their heartbeats expire, and the dementors summon them to the Bridge, fight so hard to stay.

    The dementors will give a dog illness, then step back to see if that brings the pup to the Bridge.  If not, they keep adding problem on top of problem until the little soul can no longer bear the weight and finally succumbs.  Humans see their dog become sick, then get better, only to become ever further ill.  It is a frustrating ride, as they think they are out of the darkness and then dragged back into it.  This is how Harley Davinson went to the Bridge and why his passing took an especially hard toll on his mother, Jerri.

    Harley, a darling Schnauzer, who was able to avoid the dementor's reach and advance to his senior years,  had been stricken with two cases of pancreatitis, once, when he was a puppy, which almost brought him to the Bridge, and a few years later, which was caught early and dealt with.  When Momma Jerri saw Harley exhibit the same symptoms he had shown when dealing with the illness, she rushed him to the vet.  The doctor gave Harley some pills to help keep ahead of the dementors and cure him of the sickness.

Unlike the other times, Harley had pancreatitis. The dementors were determined that this time he would succumb. Over the next few days, his mom was heartened to see him acting like himself, eating like a horse, and taking his pills without issue.  Five days after he went to the vet, the dementors revisited Harley, gave him a terrible pain in the stomach, and his mom took him back to the vet.  

The angels received hundreds of prayers for Harley, because he has many online friends, and had touched even more lives as a therapy dog, which brought him to nursing homes, and other places were to feel a dog was like getting a cool glass of water after being lost in the desert.  The angels sent an army to protect Harley, but we can seldom fight off determined dementors.  They fight dirty.  

At the vet’s, Harley was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.  He had lost three pounds and had a grade five heart murmur.  That was a tall order for the angels and Harley to overcome.  The next morning he was home.  He forced himself to eat a little and enjoyed a slight walk.  His mom hoped he had turned a corner. 

On July third, a week after the dementors set their sights on Harley, they added a fever to his list of ailments.  The vets worked hard to bring his temperature down, but it was becoming apparent Harley, and the Angels would not be victorious.   The next day, on the Fourth of July, Harley became immortal.

Harley was admired by the angels for several reasons:  He fought ferociously to stay with his mom; he is a devoted dog who loves his family with all his heart; he is always kind, and he spreads love and joy wherever he goes as a first-rate therapy dog. 

When Harley arrived, the humans whose lives he had touched shed so many that fell like rain at the Bridge our village almost flooded with them. Harley will be living at Dogster with his friends from that site who preceded him.   It is built next door to Doggyspace so I can see him whenever I want.

Harley will be visiting his mom every day, in her dreams, and like a bird, butterfly, or some other creature that seems to linger a bit longer than usual, to try and let her know that he is young and healthy again and that he is looking forward to showing her.  Just as he was a devoted therapy dog, he will be a tremendous angel for his mom.  Hopefully, that will be enough to ease her pain.