Harlow & Sage (and Indiana): A True Story about Best Friends

by Brittni Vega

Overview

Harlow and Sage (and Indiana) is richly illustrated with more than 125 stunning images of the highly photogenic pups who have taken social media by storm.
 
Once upon a time, Harlow’s best friend was her older sister, Sage, a thoughtful and loving miniature Dachshund. Harlow and Sage had a shared love for many things, including Christmas presents and the legendary Meryl Streep. They played together, cuddled together, and shared their deepest secrets, until September 2013, when, sadly, it was Sage’s time to retire to the doggie palace in the sky. Shortly after Sage’s passing, Harlow’s parents came home with Indiana, a Dachshund puppy with a killer sense of humor. It took a little getting used to, but after a few months of showing Indiana the ropes, Harlow began to recognize that a new adventure was about to unfold.

Written in the wise and witty voice of Harlow the Weimaraner, this is a tale about the bond among three dogs, connected by deep love and unparalleled friendship. (It is also a little about Meryl.) 

“THE MOST ADORABLE BEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD” —Buzzfeed

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698194274
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/02/2014
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	44 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Brittni Vega resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband Jeff. A dog enthusiast who enjoys photographing her pets and making people laugh, every moment of her free time is spent with her two best friends, Harlow and Indiana.

Read an Excerpt

This is a true story. Well, some of it. Most of it.

Hi there. My name is Harlow Morgan Sage. I am a Miniature Dachshund.*

I am a middle child. I know what you are thinking, Oh dear, she must have middle child syndrome. But don’t worry, I don’t. I am not your typical middle child.

For the first five years of my life, I was the youngest, the baby in the family, the golden child.

And . . . I was Sage’s little sister.

Sage became an orphan in the year 2000, when she was just a few months old. Her birth parents were facing difficult times and could not keep her. Luckily for Sage, on the other side of town there was a young girl in desperate need of a best friend, and so Sage packed up her tiny suitcase, her tiny pillow, and her tiny toothbrush and moved in with the young girl.

Sage settled in comfortably with her new family and became quite attached to the young girl. The two of them were the best of friends and they did everything together: went out on their first dates, got their driver’s licenses, graduated from high school, and started college.

Eventually the young girl grew into a young woman and met a nice young man.

He quickly became her very best friend, and not long after . . . they were married.

They started their new life together, the young woman, the young man, and Sage.

As much as Sage liked her new family, she was starting to feel like a third wheel, and both of her parents could tell.

And so the two of them set out to find the perfect sidekick for their beloved Sage.

“You are going to love your new sister, Harlow!” Papa said to me as we pulled into the driveway. It was a warm, sunny day in March 2008.

Sage was waiting for us at the front door as we walked into the house. Papa set me down in front of her. She sniffed my nose, my ears, my derriere. She stared at me for a very long time before asking, “What is your favorite Meryl Streep movie?”

At the time, I had never heard of a Meryl Streep before. I was just a tiny infant. I didn’t know much about anything . . . yet.

“All of them,” I finally replied.

“Good,” she said. “My name is Sage. I like your ears. They are big. You must be a good listener.”

From that day forward, Sage and I were inseparable. She was everything a dog (or human, even) could ask for in a best friend. She shared her treats. She let me bite her ears when we played. She even let me sit beside her in the front seat on car rides.

I had never known anyone in my whole life who was as easy to get along with as Sage. We spent hours and hours on the sofa together talking about everything and nothing at all.

Sage taught me all about the world and answered almost all of my questions. There was so much that I just didn’t understand.

“Why do we sneeze? Where did all of the dinosaurs go? Were ‘The Beatles’ actual insects or were they humans?”

Sage was very smart and a truly interesting critter. There was no question that she didn’t have the answer to. I often wondered how she knew so much.

“How come you know so much, Sage?” I asked.

“I have been around for a long time,” she told me. “I read a lot.”

“Who taught you how to read?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe I was just born that way. Quit asking so many questions,” she snapped.

Sage taught me how to read. How to dumpster-dive. And how to use a computer.

“It is like a whole world of information right at your finger paw prints!” she explained to me while showing me how to operate the keyboard.

ADOPTED

On my first birthday, Sage decided to tell me that I was adopted. As you can imagine, I. WAS. SHOCKED.

I struggled at first to grasp that we weren’t real sisters. I had never noticed a difference in our appearance. We were both short in height. Dark features. Long noses. If Sage wasn’t eight years my senior, someone may have mistaken us for twins.

“It doesn’t matter, Harlow!” Sage said. “Being adopted is a beautiful thing! It makes you even more special.”

I believed her.

Our parents had never treated me any different. I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen when they cooked, but I think that was due to my chocolate allergy, not the fact that I was adopted. I was also not allowed to sit on the leather sofa in the formal living room, not because I was adopted but most likely because it was uncomfortable and they didn’t want me to hurt my back.

SLEEPING LESSONS: PART I

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for @HarlowandSage:

“Basically, these are the most adorable best friends in the world.” –Buzzfeed

“We can’t get enough…If you’re a pet owner then you know each little furball has their own (and very distinct) personality. Harlow, Sage and Indiana all three are sweet as pie, but goofy as can be.” –OK! Magazine

“Indiana the Dachshund and Harlow the Weimaraner are the new best friends taking Instagram by storm” –The Daily Mail

 “Now we are obsessed.” –The Huffington Post

“The latest furballs to attain fame may just be our favorites.” –People.com

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Harlow & Sage:

"[T]his delightful book...is great for all ages...as the way author (and doggy mom) Brittni Vega describes animal friendship and loss is heartwarming and tear-inducing (in a very good way)." –Animal Planet

“Basically, these are the most adorable best friends in the world.” –Buzzfeed

“We can’t get enough…If you’re a pet owner then you know each little furball has their own (and very distinct) personality. Harlow, Sage and Indiana all three are sweet as pie, but goofy as can be.” –OK! Magazine

“Indiana the Dachshund and Harlow the Weimaraner are the new best friends taking Instagram by storm” –The Daily Mail

 “Now we are obsessed.” –The Huffington Post

“The latest furballs to attain fame may just be our favorites.” –People.com

From the Publisher

10/17/2014
Meet the canine characters: Harlow, a Weimaraner; Sage and Indiana, two miniature dachshunds who belong to Vega. The author's pets became a sensation after she started posting photos of them to her Instagram page—Harlowandsage—almost two years ago. After the posts were picked up by outlets such as the Huffington Post, the media fire was fueled and it was inevitable that a book would result. This one traces the daily interactions and adventures in some of the most captivating pet photography, reminiscent of the incomparable William Wegman (Man's Best Friend; Fay). The story is very sweetly told from the perspective of Harlow, a technique that every dyed-in-the-wool pet owner will tell you is the best way to tell an animal's story.
Verdict While this isn't a must-buy, it will be treasured by anyone who shares his or her life with a treasured pet and certainly would make a great gift. The photography can be enjoyed over and over.—Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., WI

(c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal