โOur vets examined him and they say his face malformation is perhaps from being bitten when he was a very small puppy. He doesnโt know any difference and it doesnโt affect him.โ
That did nevertheless seem to concern potential adopters, Ollinger noted.
โPeople would walk by him and simply not even give him a second look,โ Ollinger told Fox News Digital.
The refuge accommodates roughly 110 dogs at a time, Ollinger said.
โPeople would walk by him and simply not even give him a second look.โ
โWe get so many people going through, and it just made us sad because we love Harvey,โ Ollinger said. โWe saw how much he had to contribute.โ
โHeโs extremely kind and heโs quiet and heโs clever,โ Ollinger added. โHe craves attention and he would lay at my feet. He was usually really interested in anything I was doing. As I was typing, he would bring his front paw up and gaze at the keyboard.โ
Ollinger produced a Facebook post detailing Harveyโs characteristics and why someone should give him a chance.
โHarvey is a quiet and easygoing husky who gets along with other dogs and loves treats,โ she wrote in the post.
Sherry Lankston, 41, of Woodinville, Washington, was immediately charmed โ and reacted to the post from more than 1,000 miles away.
โI wasnโt actively hunting for a new fur baby, but this guyโs adorable face has me swooning,โ she said on the post.
โThe first time I saw Harveyโs goofy smile, I was like, โOh my my, thatโs the prettiest dog ever,โ Lankston told Fox News Digital.
โI joked with my husband that I had discovered our second dog. Weโd been talking about buying a second dog for a time. River, our first dog, loves other dogs and needs a companion. So weโre talking about it, but nothing ever really clicked.โ
Within three days, Lankston had packed up her kids โ Harrison, 7, and Fionnlagh, 4, โ and went to Carlsbad. The drive there took more than 20 hours.
โSo [Lankston] came out to me one evening, packed her car the next day and then was off the next day,โ Ollinger added.
โAnd then it took her, I guess, three days to drive down,โ Ollinger remarked.
When the Lankstons were initially introduced to Harvey, it was love at first sight, Ollinger recalled.
โThat was very adorable,โ Ollinger added. โHe quickly took to her and her kids. Sherry brought her dog, River, all the way down too. Harvey and River really hit it off as well.โ
Harvey was quiet and hesitant at first, Lankston added.
โHe passed the first test โ or we passed the first test, I guess,โ Lankston joked. โThe next one was bringing in our dog River. Sheโs a shelter dog as well and so, sheโs had baggage, but honestly they did wonderful. They had a couple sniffs here and there, and then sheโs like, โOK cool.โโ
Then Sherryโs husband, Robert, traveled down the next day to see Harvey โ and suddenly Harvey had met the whole family.
โHarvey just moved over to her husband and leaned on his legs,โ Ollinger claimed. โThat was precious.โ
The next morning, the Lankstons picked up Harvey and began the long road journey home. Ollinger said watching Harvey drive away was bittersweet.
โI wouldโve been sad, but Sherry [Lankston] and I have become friends and weโve been messaging one other pretty much every day,โ Ollinger added.
โItโs been amazing,โ Ollinger remarked. โShe sends me images and videos of Harvey all the time.โ
Lankston claimed that on the drive home, she heard more about how Harvey was saved when a woman who had been watching Ollingerโs Facebook post reached out to her.
โShe said that they were riding ATVs in the desert when they discovered Harvey and two female dogs beneath a bush,โ Lankston said.
โWe were able to convince him to follow us with the two girls for miles back to our car,โ the woman wrote to Lankston.
โHe saved the other two girl Huskiesโ lives. The girls were quite terrified of ATVs, but he helped them and wouldnโt leave them behind. We had no leashes or anything, and [were] in the middle of nowhere and he helped them so much. Heโs the only reason they were alive.โ
The crew took them back to their tent, Lankston added, and gave them chicken hamburger patties and strawberries.
Since heโs been home, Lankston said Harvey is prospering.
โHaving him here is amazing,โ Lankston remarked. โHeโs playing with the kids, heโs playing with us. It took River a day or two to really kind of settle down and understand that heโs not just visiting. He is here forever.โ
Harvey is progressively meeting the other members of the Lankston family: four cats named Angel, Nimitz, Mak and Momo and a snail named Gary who will be freed when spring arrives in Washington, Lankston added.
Ollinger said she hopes Harveyโs tale would teach people not to judge a dog by its defects.
โGive them a chance. Itโs easy to fall in love with the prettiest dog or the cutest kitten, but they all need homes, so just give them all a go,โ Ollinger said.