My Imperfect Loves ~~ Harmony ~~ Part VI of VIII

"A righteous man regards the life of his animal." ~~Proverbs 12:10

July 14, 2013

Dear Readers,

What can I say about waking up in the morning with Harmony Jane movin' and a groovin' to the tune of it's time for breakfast!  She's an absolute delight ~ better than a Krispy Kreme donut!!

Having Harmony sleep with me has been a way of bonding with her and for her to feel safe.  I don't need an alarm clock ~ Kennedy lets me know when it's 6:15am and gets Harmony revved up.  Harmony gets me going and I stumble (literally with all the dog beds on the floor!) out of bed and head out the door so that they all can water my plants!

When I first saw Ruffles photo on the Recycled Poms page of new arrivals, she really caught my eye and I inquired about her.  I was hoping that she might be that special Pom to complete our family.  I got a response back but not one that I expected.  Ruffles was part of a bonded pair that came out of Arkansas and they were to be adopted together.  Rats!  Her little sister, Harmony, was cute but six dogs?  Five was stretching it for us.

Laura (Zeke & Kennedy's foster mom) encouraged me to take a look at the girls and offered to bring them to us.  Recycled Poms allowed us some time to see how the girls adjusted to us and how we adjusted to them (they even agreed to think about separating the girls). We had five dogs of five different breeds with five different needs plus Michael and I needed to be able to bond with the dog as well.  I say dog because we only wanted one more dog.

Oh me oh my ... when Laura brought the girls in I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  They were the cutest little balls of fur I'd seen.  I had originally thought that we could select one and send the other back with Laura.  Nope!  We liked them both for different reasons.  Each was imperfectly perfect!  By the end of the day, we knew we were hooked and there was no way, we would ever separate these special ladies.

Harmony is our dog with sass and class. If you look at the breed standard, Harmony is right on the money.  She is AKC registered, a 5.9 pound beauty.  I can just imagine how cute her puppies were.  She's definitely a Type A dog. She grumbles, moans, and groans claiming her space, toys, and food.  We talk to her and she grumbles back.  We laugh and she really gets into high gear as Queen of the Pack! In all her perfectness, Harmony (like Ruffles) wasn't treated very well and her legs and front paws show signs of having been kept for long periods of time in a small cage.  Most of her teeth have been pulled.  Luckily for Harmony, her alpha personality carried her through the tough times.  She doesn't have a shy bone in her body.

Harmony is the perfect cover girl.  She sees me get the camera out and immediately stops and poses.  I'm not kidding.  She is a camera hog!!

The girls don't really play with each other or the other dogs but I've noticed that when the pack runs to try catch a squirrel, they are beginning to follow. They were puzzled at first about toys preferring to nest with them.  As a puppy mill girl, Harmony missed out on a lot of things that a normal pet would be exposed to. Every day, her curiosity is piqued by something new. Michael calls Harmony Sugar Bear.  In so many ways, she is so sweet like sugar.  At other times she is a ferocious little queen with an "off with their heads" attitude.

My imperfect loves: Sadie, Toby, Kennedy, Zeke, Ruffles, and Harmony.  How could I ever choose one over the other.  They are so different; yet, they are loving and gentle creatures sent to us to love, cherish, and protect from further harm.   Yes they are all imperfect; they are also perfect as we all fit together as a glove.

Always remember I am praying for you, my Readers.  I take a peek at my audience which now spans across the globe and pray for your specific countries as well.  It's a great day ... share the love!!

Miss Dottie

PS  Life is about sniffing, tasting, and testing new waters in a safe place where I can stretch my legs and am not locked up in a little cage. If you've ever been kept captive physically, emotionally, or spiritually then experienced freedom, you know what I mean. ~~Harmony Jane