It was nearing dusk on June 2nd, and Ralph Dorn of Culpepper, Virginia was looking for his 6-year-old Goldendoodle, Harley.
He went to the back of his property and spotted Harley in the middle of the lake.
And next to him was a tiny baby deer.
And he was nudging and herding the fawn back to the shoreline.
"Not sure how the fawn got out there but Harley obviously didn't ask why, he just jumped into action.”
They paddled side-by-side together until they got to shore.
Harley then helped the fawn up a rocky ledge before they got to the flat grassy area.
"Harley didn't want to leave the fawn.
He just kept interacting with it, licking it, caring for it."
Ralph spotted the mama deer at the tree line looking at them, so he pried Harley away from his new friend that he estimates is only a few days old, and brought him back into the house.
As soon as they were away, mama and baby were reunited.
But the magic was just beginning.
The next morning, whilst Ralph and his wife Patricia were drinking coffee, Harley became rather frantic.
"Harley got restless running from window to window. I opened the front door and we could hear the fawn bleating,” Ralph wrote in a viral Facebook post.
"Harley ran into the tree line and found the fawn."
"The little one stopped bleating, tail wagging, they touched noses sniffed each other and Harley came calmly back to the house with me."
This really isn’t anything new for Harley.
"We could tell right away, even as a puppy, he had such a good heart," says Dorn. "He has always been like that with children and animals. He loves them all."
Harley has worked as a certified therapy dog, visiting the elderly in care facilities and sitting with children during reading hours at the local library. He's also a hit with Dorn's four grandchildren.
"He's 100 percent glued to them."
In Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintainance, someone asked the protagonist,
“What kind of dog is that?’
“Why...why, that’s a good dog.”
And, if for just a brief moment…..all is well with the world.
**
** Dedicated to the Biden family for the loss of Champ, my 18-year-old dear girl Bella, for our canine friends and those of us that love and admire them.
And for Harley.
And because it’s my favorite Beatles song, which Paul wrote to commemorate his love for his dear...Martha the sheepdog.
Monday, Jun 21, 2021 · 12:38:35 AM +00:00 · Tevye
Brothers and sisters, one of our own needs our loving and nuturing vibes, sent express airmail.
XO
Thank you Tevye — this diary brought a smile to a tear-soaked face and house mourning having to put down our not-yet 6 year old beloved Sheltie on Wednesday. It was so sudden and so shocking.
How wonderful to read Harley’s story. Plus, I always loved Martha My Dear and never knew it was about Paul’s dog. Enjoyed the video. Very sweet. Sending this post to our animal-loving neighbor who helped us in our emergency on Wednesday.