| Biographical Non-Fiction posted January 24, 2011 | Chapters: |
...9 10 -11- 
|
  |
Harley's first outing to get a harness and leash
A chapter in the book Harley, a Little Dog
Harley goes to PetCo
by Mustang Patty
Dr. Paradis pronounced Harley in fine condition, sound and fully vaccinated on his latest visit to the vet. With great anticipation, we drove from the vet's office to the local PetCo. I was extremely excited about taking Harley into a store. Over the years, I've visited the different pet stores that encourage folks to bring their pets, but I'm pretty sure my cats wouldn't have thought it was such a great thing. A new puppy, on the other hand, would have a blast in a store where he was welcome, and it was a good chance to give him some socialization skills.
One of the items we were going to shop for was a proper harness and leash. Harley's diminutive size was daunting to me. I didn't want to buy something at the store, only to come home and realize he was much too small. Taking him with me to shop for this very important item was the first big step in training. Once Harley had a harness, we could begin to train with the leash, start outdoor potty training, and we both would get more exercise.
Harley rode in his kennel while we were in the car. He was extremely surprised when I opened the door to his kennel, and gathered him into my arms. Upon entering the store, Harley went into extreme alert mode. His little head turned every which way, and his nostrils became totally dilated as he tried to take in all the new smells. I could feel his little tail wagging against my arm, as I held him in the football position.
I grabbed one of the deep carts and placed Harley in the basket. Though Harley stood on his back legs, his head barely cleared the top of the basket. I watched in delight as he continued to take in his surroundings and enjoyed the ride.
Everyone we encountered had to look at the little puppy wagging his tail and straining to see them. Harley's joy was abundant as people continued to remark on his cuteness. We made our way through the store towards the restraints. Passing the food aisle, I watched Harley salivate as his senses were assaulted by the abundance of fresh kibble. I had to stop at the toy section because Harley almost jumped out of the basket when he saw the rope toys. Grabbing a few different sizes, I placed them near my purse and continued our journey. One eye was trained on the path in front of us, while I kept my other eye and one hand on Harley to keep him from taking flight and running amok in the store.
The aisle with harnesses, collars, leashes and chains was long and full of items I rarely used. Cat owners hardly care about restraining their animals, and for over fifteen years, I had only indoor cats. The array of leashes, tether chains, electrical pet collars and harnesses flooded my senses. I was in the process of trying to find a store associate when Harley started barking at the reflective tape on a group of training harnesses.
Looking for the size for toy dogs, I found a harness in a pretty blue with Velcro and proper straps. It was designed to allow the leash to restrain him around his chest, rather than pulling on his neck. It had a strong strap along the top where I could pick him up if needed, and although the price affronted my sense of frugality, I started to put it on Harley.
His little wiggly body gave me a few problems as we worked his feet through the holes, and then he stood perfectly still as I fastened the Velcro and snapped the fastener of the straps. Harley looked at me with great pride. He knew he was on his way to being a trained dog! I left the harness on in hopes the staff could ring it up without taking it off because I knew Harley wasn't going to let the harness leave his body without a fight.
We chose a matching leash, and we set out for the front of the store. Harley stood on his hind legs and peered over the front edge of the cart. Tail a wag, and ears laid back in friendliness, he invited any and all people to notice his handsome new harness.
Heading towards the registers, we encountered an adult Jack Russell Terrier with his master. He was wearing a jaunty blue kerchief around his neck and walked proudly in the heel position. His beautiful tulip ears perked up when he saw Harley in the basket. We all stopped in the middle of the aisle, and while the other owner and I made silent eye contact and nods, the older dog stood on his hind legs and put his nose up to meet Harley's.
Both tails were wagging so fast, only white blurs could be seen. Silently they both sniffed, and slowly licked. Harley attempted to lick the older dog's face, but he could barely reach. The older dog licked the side of Harley's face as if to say, 'Make our breed proud, little fellow.'
Harley's behavior for the rest of the time in the store was exemplary. He gently took the cookie from the cashier and sat still while she scanned the tag on his harness. He knew there were toys in the plastic bag, but although he eyed it with interest, he didn't try to grab it. It seemed his puppy ways were changing.
I pushed the cart all the way to the car, and after fastening the leash to the proper rings, I placed Harley on a patch of grass in the middle of the parking lot. He was shocked by how the dirt felt beneath his feet, and while he investigated the dirt, a gust of wind blew by.
Swirling leaves circled his head, and Harley bounced up and down in a cacophony of barks. Puppy days were still ahead of us.
Dr. Paradis pronounced Harley in fine condition, sound and fully vaccinated on his latest visit to the vet. With great anticipation, we drove from the vet's office to the local PetCo. I was extremely excited about taking Harley into a store. Over the years, I've visited the different pet stores that encourage folks to bring their pets, but I'm pretty sure my cats wouldn't have thought it was such a great thing. A new puppy, on the other hand, would have a blast in a store where he was welcome, and it was a good chance to give him some socialization skills.
One of the items we were going to shop for was a proper harness and leash. Harley's diminutive size was daunting to me. I didn't want to buy something at the store, only to come home and realize he was much too small. Taking him with me to shop for this very important item was the first big step in training. Once Harley had a harness, we could begin to train with the leash, start outdoor potty training, and we both would get more exercise.
Harley rode in his kennel while we were in the car. He was extremely surprised when I opened the door to his kennel, and gathered him into my arms. Upon entering the store, Harley went into extreme alert mode. His little head turned every which way, and his nostrils became totally dilated as he tried to take in all the new smells. I could feel his little tail wagging against my arm, as I held him in the football position.
I grabbed one of the deep carts and placed Harley in the basket. Though Harley stood on his back legs, his head barely cleared the top of the basket. I watched in delight as he continued to take in his surroundings and enjoyed the ride.
Everyone we encountered had to look at the little puppy wagging his tail and straining to see them. Harley's joy was abundant as people continued to remark on his cuteness. We made our way through the store towards the restraints. Passing the food aisle, I watched Harley salivate as his senses were assaulted by the abundance of fresh kibble. I had to stop at the toy section because Harley almost jumped out of the basket when he saw the rope toys. Grabbing a few different sizes, I placed them near my purse and continued our journey. One eye was trained on the path in front of us, while I kept my other eye and one hand on Harley to keep him from taking flight and running amok in the store.
The aisle with harnesses, collars, leashes and chains was long and full of items I rarely used. Cat owners hardly care about restraining their animals, and for over fifteen years, I had only indoor cats. The array of leashes, tether chains, electrical pet collars and harnesses flooded my senses. I was in the process of trying to find a store associate when Harley started barking at the reflective tape on a group of training harnesses.
Looking for the size for toy dogs, I found a harness in a pretty blue with Velcro and proper straps. It was designed to allow the leash to restrain him around his chest, rather than pulling on his neck. It had a strong strap along the top where I could pick him up if needed, and although the price affronted my sense of frugality, I started to put it on Harley.
His little wiggly body gave me a few problems as we worked his feet through the holes, and then he stood perfectly still as I fastened the Velcro and snapped the fastener of the straps. Harley looked at me with great pride. He knew he was on his way to being a trained dog! I left the harness on in hopes the staff could ring it up without taking it off because I knew Harley wasn't going to let the harness leave his body without a fight.
We chose a matching leash, and we set out for the front of the store. Harley stood on his hind legs and peered over the front edge of the cart. Tail a wag, and ears laid back in friendliness, he invited any and all people to notice his handsome new harness.
Heading towards the registers, we encountered an adult Jack Russell Terrier with his master. He was wearing a jaunty blue kerchief around his neck and walked proudly in the heel position. His beautiful tulip ears perked up when he saw Harley in the basket. We all stopped in the middle of the aisle, and while the other owner and I made silent eye contact and nods, the older dog stood on his hind legs and put his nose up to meet Harley's.
Both tails were wagging so fast, only white blurs could be seen. Silently they both sniffed, and slowly licked. Harley attempted to lick the older dog's face, but he could barely reach. The older dog licked the side of Harley's face as if to say, 'Make our breed proud, little fellow.'
Harley's behavior for the rest of the time in the store was exemplary. He gently took the cookie from the cashier and sat still while she scanned the tag on his harness. He knew there were toys in the plastic bag, but although he eyed it with interest, he didn't try to grab it. It seemed his puppy ways were changing.
I pushed the cart all the way to the car, and after fastening the leash to the proper rings, I placed Harley on a patch of grass in the middle of the parking lot. He was shocked by how the dirt felt beneath his feet, and while he investigated the dirt, a gust of wind blew by.
Swirling leaves circled his head, and Harley bounced up and down in a cacophony of barks. Puppy days were still ahead of us.
One of the items we were going to shop for was a proper harness and leash. Harley's diminutive size was daunting to me. I didn't want to buy something at the store, only to come home and realize he was much too small. Taking him with me to shop for this very important item was the first big step in training. Once Harley had a harness, we could begin to train with the leash, start outdoor potty training, and we both would get more exercise.
Harley rode in his kennel while we were in the car. He was extremely surprised when I opened the door to his kennel, and gathered him into my arms. Upon entering the store, Harley went into extreme alert mode. His little head turned every which way, and his nostrils became totally dilated as he tried to take in all the new smells. I could feel his little tail wagging against my arm, as I held him in the football position.
I grabbed one of the deep carts and placed Harley in the basket. Though Harley stood on his back legs, his head barely cleared the top of the basket. I watched in delight as he continued to take in his surroundings and enjoyed the ride.
Everyone we encountered had to look at the little puppy wagging his tail and straining to see them. Harley's joy was abundant as people continued to remark on his cuteness. We made our way through the store towards the restraints. Passing the food aisle, I watched Harley salivate as his senses were assaulted by the abundance of fresh kibble. I had to stop at the toy section because Harley almost jumped out of the basket when he saw the rope toys. Grabbing a few different sizes, I placed them near my purse and continued our journey. One eye was trained on the path in front of us, while I kept my other eye and one hand on Harley to keep him from taking flight and running amok in the store.
The aisle with harnesses, collars, leashes and chains was long and full of items I rarely used. Cat owners hardly care about restraining their animals, and for over fifteen years, I had only indoor cats. The array of leashes, tether chains, electrical pet collars and harnesses flooded my senses. I was in the process of trying to find a store associate when Harley started barking at the reflective tape on a group of training harnesses.
Looking for the size for toy dogs, I found a harness in a pretty blue with Velcro and proper straps. It was designed to allow the leash to restrain him around his chest, rather than pulling on his neck. It had a strong strap along the top where I could pick him up if needed, and although the price affronted my sense of frugality, I started to put it on Harley.
His little wiggly body gave me a few problems as we worked his feet through the holes, and then he stood perfectly still as I fastened the Velcro and snapped the fastener of the straps. Harley looked at me with great pride. He knew he was on his way to being a trained dog! I left the harness on in hopes the staff could ring it up without taking it off because I knew Harley wasn't going to let the harness leave his body without a fight.
We chose a matching leash, and we set out for the front of the store. Harley stood on his hind legs and peered over the front edge of the cart. Tail a wag, and ears laid back in friendliness, he invited any and all people to notice his handsome new harness.
Heading towards the registers, we encountered an adult Jack Russell Terrier with his master. He was wearing a jaunty blue kerchief around his neck and walked proudly in the heel position. His beautiful tulip ears perked up when he saw Harley in the basket. We all stopped in the middle of the aisle, and while the other owner and I made silent eye contact and nods, the older dog stood on his hind legs and put his nose up to meet Harley's.
Both tails were wagging so fast, only white blurs could be seen. Silently they both sniffed, and slowly licked. Harley attempted to lick the older dog's face, but he could barely reach. The older dog licked the side of Harley's face as if to say, 'Make our breed proud, little fellow.'
Harley's behavior for the rest of the time in the store was exemplary. He gently took the cookie from the cashier and sat still while she scanned the tag on his harness. He knew there were toys in the plastic bag, but although he eyed it with interest, he didn't try to grab it. It seemed his puppy ways were changing.
I pushed the cart all the way to the car, and after fastening the leash to the proper rings, I placed Harley on a patch of grass in the middle of the parking lot. He was shocked by how the dirt felt beneath his feet, and while he investigated the dirt, a gust of wind blew by.
Swirling leaves circled his head, and Harley bounced up and down in a cacophony of barks. Puppy days were still ahead of us.
 Recognized |
|
Word Count: 1002 words This is the latest chapter of Harley's book - 'Harley, A Little Dog.' I hope you enjoy it and will consider reading the previous chapters. ~patty~
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. 
You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.
© Copyright 2024. Mustang Patty All rights reserved.
Mustang Patty has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
