Harley Goes to Heaven

We here at Houstonist are a sucker for animals, especially strong willed cute ones that have lived through hell and survived. Perhaps you remember Harley; a black lab mix who was found wandering the streets after Hurricane Rita with his back badly burned from a fire.

The kind people at the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took the poor guy in and got him back to good health. He became a mini-celebrity in the pet world, making a public appearance at the annual Mutt Strut. Everything looked good for Harley to go to a new home.

Fast forward to present times. Where is Harley now? Well, let’s just say that he isn’t feeling the pain from that burn anymore or any post-hurricane stress. Harley is in doggie heaven. Because that’s where the Houston SPCA put him. On accident, of course.

The Houston Press talked to Alice Sarmiento, the HSPCA vice president of development and community outreach. At first, she would only say that Harley was euthanized after getting sick. She finally admitted that he had developed kennel cough, which should not have put him on the kill list. Someone screwed up, though, and the hurricane survivor met his demise at the SPCA.

Sarmiento says the person responsible for the error is no longer with the SPCA. Which surely puts Harley (not to mention the other dogs at the SPCA) at ease.

Photo courtesy of flickr user trekguy.