He had found her. That was what should have mattered most. When Jesse embraced Harley again for the first time, he was already almost in tears.
When he noticed the note around her neck, he was momentarily confused. Trying to keep her still, he carefully untied it. As he read it, the tears streamed down his face freely. He hadn’t expected this.
When Jesse Morrison first moved to California, he felt like a fish out of water. A native Texan, his southern values didn’t always quite fit in here.
So when his firm offered him a senior partner role, he knew he couldn’t turn it down. As he soon found out, the stark differences between the cities wouldn’t be the only surprise moving to LA would bring.
Sandy Miller was working as an ad executive when Jessie came to town. When she was placed on the account for Jessie’s firm, the two had an instant connection.
What started as a working relationship soon blossomed into a romantic one. It seemed like a blur of happiness, and before long, the couple was already discussing the next step.
Since both had never been married before, neither had any kids either. They were already living together, and although they both wanted to start a family, it was a big decision to make at their age.
With equally demanding careers, they knew it would not be easy to juggle a baby and work. After discussing the matter at length, Sandy proposed a compromise.
Since neither had experience taking care of a baby, they had no idea if it was something they could handle on top of their careers. Sandy suggested that going through a “trial period” first might be good.
Since they couldn’t try with a real baby, Sandy came up with the next best thing. Jessie was skeptical at first but soon grew just as excited as her.
The couple agreed that adopting a puppy would be a great way to test how well they would cope with a baby. At first, they planned to buy a dog.
After Sandy read how many rescue puppies there were, Jessie agreed they should look at local shelters instead. On their first trip to the nearest one, the couple immediately regretted the decision.
The No-Kill LA shelter was well worth the trip. The couples’ only regret when they saw all the poor animals there was that they couldn’t adopt them all.
Seeing how many stranded puppies and kittens needed homes was a sorrowful moment. After getting to know as many of them as they could, one pup, in particular, stood out.
Harley was a golden brown Maltese mix. Her personality was so sweet and loving that the couple fell in love instantly. They were both head over heels, and Harley immediately fit right into their little home.
She grew into a feisty but sweet little dog in no time. But just when the couple was perfectly settled in their new life, tragedy struck.
After returning home from a long day’s work, Sandy was puzzled when she couldn’t find Harley anywhere. Harley usually stood at the doorway waiting for Sandy, but today, she was nowhere to be found.
After calling Jessie, the pair searched and searched, but the truth was soon apparent. As heartbreaking as it was to admit it, Harley was lost.
The hours quickly turned into days. By day three, Jessie and Sandy were starting to give up hope of finding Harley. They were devastated as she had become like the child they never had.
Flyers and ads for a reward all went unanswered. Jessie was on his way home on the afternoon of the third day when he suddenly stopped the car with a shock.
He could not believe his eyes. On the side of the road, walking towards their home, it was unmistakably Harley. She was muddy and panting furiously but seemed in good health. Harley began whimpering with happiness.
He scooped her up and gave her a huge hug as she slobbered him with kisses. Taking her into the car, it was then that he first noticed what was hanging around her neck.
Confused at first, Jessie looked more carefully and realized a small note was tied around her collar. Untying it carefully, Jessie was in tears as he read the letter.
It seemed that Harley had heard another dog in danger and leaped into action. Calling the number on the back of the note, Jessie was in tears as he listened.
The man who picked it up was named Bob. Bob had obviously mistaken Harley for a male dog as he referred to her as “he”. Bob lived nearby and had a dog named “Maddy”.
Maddy got trapped under a thorny bush, and Harley must have heard her yelps. Harley found Bob and led him to the spot where Maddy was. In Bob’s words, she was a “hero”.
Jessie was so emotional when he heard the story. He had never felt prouder of his little dog. Bob further explained that when Harley left, she seemed to know where she was going.
He tied the note to her collar, thinking she was headed home. She must have taken a wrong turn and gotten lost on the way back.
Sandy was just as ecstatic and equally proud of her actions when Jessie brought Harley home. The “family” were finally all together again.
Saving Bob’s number, they became friends with him, and the two households scheduled doggy playdates for Harley and Maddy. Harley was microchipped after that. She was never lost again.
