The Story Of A Boy

by Crystal Coons
Sep 3, 2003

Let me tell you the story of a boy... a boy named Harley. He was born in Arizona

Arizona	(air-i'-ZON-u')
The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada.

and lived a good part of his life in the County Pet Control center. We met him at the Arizona

Arizona	(air-i'-ZON-u')
The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada.

Humane Society. He didn't talk much, but we knew he was the right fit for us.

The Humane Society found him at the County Pet Control center and decided to save him from being put to sleep. They took him to their shelter, and did the best they could to make him healthy and strong, and ready to find a new family. My husband and I had been debating on whether to get a pet or not. We knew that if we decided to get one, we would adopt. We made our way out to the Campus for Compassion in Phoenix, and told ourselves not to get excited. We knew what we wanted in a pet, and we wouldn't take anything other than that... (Mostly so that we wouldn't let our emotions get the best of us and take home 123873 dogs.) We knew we wanted a Labrador retriever, and one that was at least a year old. We got to the Humane Society and began walking through the hallways filled with dogs looking to find a family to come home to.

We walked through three hallways and were about to leave when there he was, in the second to last kennel, shaking and scared, huddled in a corner against the bars. He was little and a rusty color. "Huey" his ID tag read, "2 year old Labrador retriever. Friendly with Men and Women." We immediately fell in love with his adorable little face, and the fact that, unlike some other dogs, he didn't jump and bark and growl at us when we stopped to look at him. We asked to spend a few minutes with him, and, along with an AHS volunteer, we headed out to the small fenced area where my husband, Huey and I could spend some time together. We spent time checking him over, playing with him, and seeing if we would be right for each other. Within five minutes, we knew we had to take him home. When the AHS volunteer came back, she asked us what we thought. We were quick to tell her that we were going to take him home. She got very excited and told him "Huey, you're getting a second chance!" My husband and I smiled at each other, and knew that our family was going to increase by one.

We were told to fill out a paper, and we'd have to wait to be seen by an AHS counselor to fill us in on all the details and give us the information we'd need to make sure he would be comfortable with us. We spent the following hours walking around the pet store, and looking at some of the other animals. We were so excited, and we decided that, with his fresh new start and his fresh new home, we would give him a fresh new name. We went back to visit him during the hours that we waited to see what he "looked like." We had decided on "Harley". Not too far off of his kennel name, but something new nonetheless.

Our counselor was wonderful, and answered all of my questions and more. She made it very clear that he had been through a lot within his short two years on this planet... from being left at Pet Control, and about to be euthanized to being rescued by them, and then again by us. He would need extra love and care, and we knew we were the people to do that. Within three hours of arriving at the Humane Society, we left with a bag of IAMS food, a leash, a collar, and a new family member. It's been two weeks now, and Harley is doing wonderfully in his new home.

The Arizona

Arizona	(air-i'-ZON-u')
The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada.

Humane Society has given us such a great amount of joy and love in Harley. If you are interested in making the addition to your family, consider the Humane Society. You're saving a life and adding one to your own.