Today is the one-year anniversary of Harvey’s passing, and today I choose to celebrate his life and his friendship.
Harvey (a.k.a. “Big Time,” “Bo-Bo,” “Ruby”) was my best friend and soul mate for over 14 years. When I visited the local shelter, he was the young pup who was too scared to approach and trembled when I tried to touch him. Plus that, he had apparently been “put together” by a committee of some sort using spare parts. His ears and legs were too long for the rest of his body, and his head was bigger than one might expect. He was uncoordinated and I once even had to rush him to the vet when he tumbled down the steps and couldn’t get back up.
Conventional wisdom would have said to choose another who was not cowering in the corner of the pen, but there was something about those eyes…. Those profound, expressive eyes were those of an old soul, a soul that had taken a turn around life more than once and had much to share.
Harvey and I shared over 14 glorious years together. He was my constant companion for trial-and-error gardening, the grand opening of my small antiques shop, and daily walks and runs through nearby fields and woods. He traveled with me through the sadness of my grandmother’s death, through the losses of both my husband’s parents, through the tragic burning of my family home, and through the fun and excitement of 14 Christmases and family reunions. He was by my side through thick and thin.
Harvey was the smartest dog I have ever been owned by. He understood every single word I ever said, and when, in his later years, he became deaf, he understood hand signals without a single hour of training. Every single night when I wished him a good night and reminded him I would see him in the morning, he let out a contented sigh. (Even now, a year after Harvey’s death, I still find myself listening for that sigh every night when the lights go out.)
When it was time for Harvey to travel out of this world and into the next, I was there by his side, just as he had been by mine all these many years. And I take some comfort in the fact that he left this world better than he found it. The loss of his friendship and companionship has been hard to bear over this past year, but I am eternally grateful for the extraordinary opportunity to walk part of my life and most of his with him by my side.
Rest in Peace, dear Harvey. Until we meet again.
This pic taken of Harvey in his later years.
