Harvey is a Pooka. What is a Pooka, you might ask…
“P-O-O-K-A. Pooka. From old Celtic mythology, a fairy spirit in animal form, always very large. The pooka appears here and there, now and then, to this one and that one. A benign but mischievous creature.” -Harvey, 1950 film
If one were to look up pooka in a dictionary or the internet, various sources define it similarly… (in folklore) an Irish spirit, mischievous but not malevolent… A fairy that supposedly appears in animal form, often large… Considered to be bringers both of good and bad fortune…
I met this pooka in Fallon, Nevada, of all places. He only had a few days left in his stay at animal control. My 10-year-old inner self instantly took over my brain, (queue images of Natty Gann and her wolf friend…) and before we knew it there was a 70 lb husky in the back of my little hatchback, and we were on our way home.
At this point in my life I was not sure I was prepared for a husky. They are high energy, can be vocal, very smart, and need much attention. Like most parents, I assume you’re never ready until the baby arrives, and then ready or not, it’s here. So there we were — One girl with a pit bull at home, and a husky on the way. This handsome pup, that was about two years old, surprised me by being the calmest, quietest dog of them all. He does get restless if he doesn’t have a long walk or run, but honestly, who doesn’t?
Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Harvey were among my favorite movies as a kid. And this magical creature came into my life when I did indeed need a change, and a challenge, and another friend. So his name became Harvey, and looking at him and sitting with him calms me down similar to the way Audrey Hepburn’s character, Holly Golightly, feels about Tiffany’s jewelry stores.
“Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it. Nothing very bad could happen to you there…” -Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1961 film
This is by no means an endorsement for getting a dog when you are unprepared, or doing something before you’re ready, but more of a story of how I adopted a companion. Even if we are not 100% ready for something, all we have is right now. I feel we can always be heart-open to help and rescue a creature in need. I don’t know how or where things are going to go from here, but away we go….Me and one magical, mythical pooka.
