Harvard's Haven

On December 7, 1991 Harvard was met, with open arms, by his new family. Two months of being puppy-less had left us more than ready to greet this special little guy! What a ball of energy he was! At 7 1/2 weeks old this cutie was almost all black and in need of a good game of tug-o-war! He was smart as a whip from the beginning -always thinking ahead! Within 5 minutes, he had my shoe untied, causing me to lean over to re-tie it. It was then that he pounced on the pony tail! What a boy!

Harvard had a ball around the house at Christmas time!

Harvard's brother, Hertz, was raised in the neighboring county, so we got to see a lot of him!

Harvard was a joy from the beginning, wrapping the whole family right around his little paw. For the first months of his life, our previous guide dog puppy, Chotah -a career change dog- lived with us. Chotah and Harvard were buds through and through. In July of that year, the two dressed up for the 4th of July celebrations.

The first Friday in August led us to Guide Dogs for the Blind, INC's campus for their annual Fun Day, where he met many other dogs. Here he is with a cute little yellow lab, who's name currently escapes me (The pup's raiser was Vicki from Dublin, California). Harvard was also lucky enough to meet a few of his littermates.

Harvard with Chotah (middle) and Preesa (in front). They had lots of fun together! Harvard was featured in a news article in our local paper. The article talked about his life with us, what his future would be like and the adventures he excountered with our family. Here, he is at percussion rehearsal with me. Most of the photos for the article were taken while Harvard was visiting my mother's 5th grade classroom.

Harvard's second Christmas with us was quite embarrassing for him! Think he would make a good lawn decoration?

From the day we brought this rabbit, Georgie, home, she and Harvard were the best of friends. Harv simply adored his little buddy.

This is Mr Harv just days before we said goodbye.

Then came the day to say goodbye. (Wonderful pic, huh? Even better was the video clips that were shown on the local news that night! Talk about mortifying for a almost-16 year old!) This is always a hard time for puppy raisers, but we know what is to come for our pups. Knowing what they will be adding to someone's life makes all the tears worth it. Because of what he would be adding to someone's life, I knew that Harvard would be getting more love and respect from his future partner than I could ever imagine giving him myself. Those initial tears are replaced 100 fold with the pride of having a hand in such a partnership.

Harvard returned to Guide Dogs for the Blind, INC for his formal training. Here, he is in the community run, where he would typically be romping with the other dogs. This day he was sitting pretty for a GDB staff member who had been convinced to "borrow" my camera for a few minutes!

This smart boy sailed through his training period and was "class ready" in minimal time! ("Class ready" meaning that he was ready to be matched with his future partner) Because there were no people who were "Harvard ready" at that time, he was held out of class for a month, waiting to be matched with his wonderful partner, Bob. After the pair had been matched, my family was called and an invitation was sent for us to attend their graduation ceramony in June 1993. Invitation?!?! LOL Wild horses could not have kept me away!

Bob, Harvard and me at their graduation

Harvard and Bob worked together as a great pair. I was lucky enough to be able to visit them in November of 1994 and was estatic to have the oppertunity to see the two work. What an amazing pair! Harvard is now living it up as a retiree and Bob is preparing for his second guide dog.

Jessa's Journey / Chotah's Clubhouse / Harvard's Haven / Lindsay's Lounge / Georgie's Dog House / Tweety's Bird Cage / E-mail Pele / E-mail Cassie