A man carrying two dogs in an outdoor setting with trees and shrubs, overcast sky suggesting late fall or early spring. 4:02
GeoBeats Animals channel icon GeoBeats AnimalsOriginal creator 378K views Save

Rescue dog Harvey trades a chain for a river

For at least a year, Harvey's whole world was the length of a chain in someone's backyard. more

Harvey had bad separation anxiety, and his first family decided the way to handle it was to chain him up outside. He was still a puppy. After a long time in that backyard, he was taken to the pound and lived there for a while.

That is where Olivia's partner met him. Harvey was the only dog not barking in his kennel, and in the play yard he came over and leaned his whole body on him. "You get the lean from the dog," Olivia says, "you know you're in."

A man carrying two dogs in an outdoor setting with trees and shrubs, overcast sky suggesting late fall or early spring. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
For at least a year, Harvey's whole world was the length of a chain in someone's backyard.

Olivia met Harvey on her first date with her partner. "Harvey's in the car if you want to meet him," she remembers him saying, and she absolutely did. Harvey got right up in her face, sniffing away, social and happy.

The old fear came along at first. Harvey was so attached to his new person that he would break windows to get out of the house and go find him. They worked through a lot of that anxiety together. Bit by bit he learned that he can step away from his people, and they'll still be there when he comes back inside.

Home is in Oregon, near a river, and he loves to swim. He goes out in the snow, goes skiing and does all sorts of outdoorsy dog things. He loves to bask in the sun. When someone comes home after a day away, he's up on the couch and in their lap at once, as if he weighs about 10 pounds.

He has a younger brother now, and he keeps getting more playful with him. He's also tuned in to Olivia, and he can tell real sadness from drama. If she is crying at a sad video, his attitude is pull yourself together. On a really hard day, he tunes in right away.

Nobody would guess his mix. He's part Springer Spaniel, part German Shepherd and part Rottweiler, yet he looks like a pit bull and boxer. Every animal in Olivia's life gets love and care, but Harvey gets a little extra, because they know where he came from. In a way, they're making up for lost time.

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