REST IN PEACE Mr. Harvey

Update 9/22  It is with great grief that I sit here writing this update. Harvey, our beloved floppy eared boy, lost his battle with all that ailed him. He gave it a valiant effort, but couldn't win. We are so saddened that whomever owned Harvey previously couldn't have given him the basics of care to insure his healthy future. We will not know what all Harvey was struggling with but it is safe to assume that he had been sick for a while as his body was completley depleted. Even the best of medical care and round the clock monitoring couldn't save Harvey. The only silver lining here is that Harvey made the choice to pass over the Rainbow Bridge on his own. He passed quietly in his sleep while his vet staff was getting ready to go home for the evening. After we dry our eyes from losing Harvey, we will try to make sense of such loss and know that these animals come into our lives to teach us something--even if there time with us is very brief. 

"They haven't really been taken away.
They have only gone with the Angels to play.
They have been given wings with which to fly.
All their troubles have passed them by.

Their life in heaven now must start.
But we'll hold their memory in our hearts.
Nothing about them will be forgotten.
But now they sleep on billowy clouds of cotton."

— Author Unknown

Thank you for caring about Harvey.

Please help Harvey!

Just another "stray" no one cared enough to look for. The shelter is doing the best they can to keep Harvey comfortable but he is in a lot of pain and is severely depressed. You just want to give him a hug to try and cheer him up. He's the sweetest dog you could ever meet and a good sized boy. He would make the best, most loyal family member and deserves to live out his life with a loving family.

Harvey has a fractured right tibia and may require surgery. He needs immediate medical care. We are hoping more damage is not occurring while he waits for a chance at being rescued. Harvey arrived at the East Valley Animal Shelter after being hit by a car in a busy intersection.

The medical staff and volunteers adore him. Because of his size, amount of pain he is in and sad emotional state Harvey needs get out of the shelter quickly or he will be euthanized as the shelter cannot bear to prolong his suffering. Harvey's time at the shelter is very limited.

One of the staff made this plea: “I LOVE THIS DOG! Please help him...”

We need your help to save Harvey! Our boarding and medical bills have been huge this summer and we have been severely impacted by the down turn in the economy with more and more dogs in need every day. Harvey deserves to be rescued, he deserves to know that good people exist and care about him. At only 5 years old, he has barley lived half of his life and we owe it to him to repair his broken heart and bones! 

Update: 9/11/09pm: Harvey is safe with Coastal GS Rescue!! We picked him up this afternoon and did not make it back to Orange County in time to get him to our trusty vet. He is resting tonight on pain meds and we are making him comfortable. He goes in first thing in the morning to be seen by our veterinarian. What we can tell you about Harvey is this.....he is SWEETER than sweet. A complete love bug and even though he is pain and very depressed, he is starting to turn his frown upside down!

Update: 9/15/09: We have been given some GREAT news this week! Harvey may not need orthopedic surgery as we had originally thought. Harvey is under the care of one of our wonderful vets and has received a new cast, crate rest, pain meds and antibiotics. Because of the location of the break, we are hoping that it heals completely and will be stronger than if he had a surgical repair! That is the good news! We have a little bit of bad news as well. It turns out that Harvey had been neglected for a very long time. His spirit and body is very broken. Harvey does not love to be touched and really doesn't like seeing the vet! He is warming up to us and those that give him love but he really isn't to keen on anyone messing with him. Understandably, he is hurting and had been left to fend for himself for what we believe was a very long time. Harvey's coat and skin was a mess. His ears full of years of dirt and filth. His body riddled with fleas and ticks. While he may not need surgery, he is going to need a lot of tender loving care to get back to the happy dog he should be. Harvey will be revisiting our medical team regularly for therapy and rechecks. We are hoping to have a very happy report on his psychological condition very soon.

HUGE THANK YOU to all of Harvey's fans! You helped us meet our goal and now Harvey is assured a happy pain free future. Thank you!

Update: 9/19: Harvey has taken a turn for the worse. We are working with our vet team to figure out what is ailing him. Harvey has lost his interest in food and has no energy. His initial blood test show that he has a very low white blood cell count. We are looking into tick borne diseases as well as a myriad of other sources. Please keep Harvey in your thoughts as he is hospitalized and going to need all of our strength to pull him through.