Today is National Hat Day so we thought we’d share the stories behind a few of Harley’s hats. Harley really didn’t prefer to wear hats, but he was such a good sport that he always agreed to wear a hat long enough to have his photo taken!
The first hat Harley ever wore was the black hat with flowers. He wore it so that he could enter the Madhatter Contest on Spike Taylor’s facebook page … that was about five years ago and Harley won the contest!
The Mickey Mouse hat was a gift from Harley’s best buddy, Teddy. Teddy brought it back from his trip to Disneyland. Teddy surprised Harley with the hat and Harley acted like he loved it, but the truth is, it really didn’t fit all that well.
There was a time when Harley was hoping to become an honorary member of the Red Hat Society. He tried and tried to get their attention. They never really took notice so Harley finally gave up and discarded the hat (and eventually Olive found the hat and thought it was a toy, and well….. the hat no longer exists).
Be sure to see the pictures below.
Happy Hat Day, everybody! #NationalHatDay
Who is Harley?
On the brink of death, after spending 10 years living in a cramped, filthy cage in a puppy mill – where he’d lost an eye when his cage was power-washed, Harley was finally freed. He immediately received much-needed medical care and found love with a special family. And he thrived. To the surprise of the veterinary community, this strong-spirited little 6-pound Chihuahua continued going strong in spite of medical conditions which were the result of his years living in a cage. For five years following his rescue, Harley worked hard educating children and adults alike about puppy mills. Harley had personally participated in the freeing of more than 700 dogs from puppy mills across the Midwest, and raised the money that gave freedom to hundreds more.
Harley always seemed well aware that his life had a purpose. Whether it was a fundraiser in his honor that drew 2,000 people, or visiting an elementary school classroom to educate our youngest generation about where pet store puppies really come from, Harley’s magical personality grasped the hearts of all who met him. He’d been featured on the cover of popular magazines and on television and radio, and was considered a social media sensation.
Sadly, Harley passed away on March 20, 2016 … but his legacy lives on. This little one-eyed dog is known worldwide. Harley continues to inspire hope and confidence in people of all ages who are able to relate to his less-than-perfect appearance, and he continues to be the voice for the hundreds of thousands of dogs living in cages in puppy mills today.
Learn more about Harley and his mission here: www.harleysdream.org #HarleysDream