Have you heard of Harley? He was a Chihuahua who spent the first 10 years of his life living in a cage in a puppy mill. Harley had thousands of adoring fans after his rescue. I’m sad to say Harley passed away last week on March 20th.

Harley had been named American Humane Association’s 2015 American Hero Dog because of the huge impact he had for other dogs like himself. In his golden years, Harley became an adorable & easily recognizable mascot who helped raise money to free more than 500 dogs from commercial dog-breeding operations.

Over the past five years, Harley enjoyed a happy life — complete with soft blankets, cute sweaters & plenty of media appearances, including one on the TODAY Show.

Harley was adopted by, Rudi & Dan Taylor of Colorado. When they first brought Harley home in 2011, they figured he might survive two to three months tops. The decade he had spent in a cage had taken its toll on Harley. The volunteers who rescued him & his veterinarian said that, like many puppy mill dogs, Harley likely lost one of his eyes when his cage got power-washed with him inside it. The battered little dog had a many other ailments, including a broken tail, gnarled toes, infected teeth & heart disease.

Harley became the mascot for a “Harley to the Rescue” campaign, which raised money to help National Mill Dog Rescue save & care for hundreds of puppy mill dogs. “Harley survived in hell for 10 years & there’s only one thing that allows the spirit to do that, & that’s to be indomitable,” Dan Taylor said onstage last September at the Hero Dog Awards gala. “That spirit is allowing him now to be the voice for dogs who cannot speak for themselves … and give everybody hope that tomorrow’s going to be a better day.”

Harley on facebook

Harley’s Blog on WordPress

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