Harvey of Kreative
The Legacy
Harvey. Mr. Harv. My working partner, protector, and friend.
2016–2026 · His watch ended July 16, 2026
Harvey helped shape the way I understand working dogs, the responsibility of handling them, and the standards that became part of Kriegerhund K9.
Some lessons came through work and adventure. Others came through mistakes I had to acknowledge and a relationship I had to learn how to rebuild.
This is his place in our history.
A personal account by Jeff R. Burns
Meet Mr. Harv
Name: Harvey of Kreative
Call name: Harvey
Affectionately known as: Mr. Harv
Breed: German Shepherd Dog
trainer, Handler, and companion: Jeff R. Burns
Place in Kriegerhund’s history: The Legacy
Date of birth: september 7, 2016
Working designations: Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC); Tactical Working Dog (TWD)
Sire: V Vandor von der Lietewiese SchH2 IPO3 FH1 IPO-FH FH2
Dam: hafta of Kreative
linebreeding: G Crok vom Erlenbusch SCHH3, FH1, BSP, V Duarto vom Liegnitzer Hof SCHH3 FH, G Yascha von Karthago SCHH3
Life: september 7th, 2016 – july 16th, 2026
Status: In memoriam
Harvey was a very confident, high-drive working German Shepherd with a strong personality and a profound place in my life. He learned quickly, demanded that I learn with him, was a true team dog, and became inseparable from the experiences that shaped my approach to dogs. rest in peace mr. harv. we love you.
A Dog Who Made Me Learn
When Harvey was young, I committed myself to his development. We worked on obedience, tracking, protection foundations, and the everyday discipline of moving through the world together.
On the Tacoma waterfront, he could heel through flocks of pigeons without breaking away to chase them. He was learning quickly, and his enthusiasm for protection work could exceed what his developing body was ready to do.
That created an early responsibility: recognize his potential while respecting his maturity.
Harvey had confidence and determination. Those qualities made him an exciting dog to work with. They also required judgment, patience, and an understanding of the individual dog in front of me.
He gave me plenty of reasons to be proud. He also gave me reasons to become a better handler.
Harvey in Hurricane Harvey
In 2017, Harvey accompanied me to Houston with a private Catastrophe Response Team during the Hurricane Harvey response.
We traveled into a region dealing with extraordinary flooding and disruption. Our hotel brought together survivors, urban search-and-rescue personnel, and private response teams.
Harvey turned one while we were in Texas.
Among the long days and difficult circumstances, people made room to celebrate a young German Shepherd. Texans gave him a green canine birthday cake, and he brought some brightness into a hotel filled with people living through the disaster and responding to it.
That memory belongs beside the working stories.
It captures something important about Mr. Harv: the same dog who stood beside me in demanding circumstances could give people a reason to smile.
The Hazard I Failed to Consider
During our time in the Houston area, I let Harvey off leash in tall grass after substantial flooding. I had not properly considered what the floodwater might have displaced into that environment.
Harvey picked up a cottonmouth.
I gave him the “out” command. He released it and came back to me without being bitten.
I was grateful for his response. I also had to acknowledge the decision that put him there.
The lesson was mine: a dog’s training cannot excuse a handler’s failure to assess the surroundings. Flooding had changed the environment, and I needed to account for that before giving him freedom to move through it.
That experience remains part of how I think about environmental assessment, reliable communication, and responsibility for the dog.
The principle that carries forward: Assess the hazards before asking the dog to enter the environment.
What Harvey Left in Our Standards
Harvey’s influence continues through decisions made for the dogs who follow him.
Respect the Individual
Confidence, drive, maturity, and emotional responses must be understood in the context of the individual dog. A method needs to be judged by what it produces for that dog.
Accept Handler Responsibility
The handler chooses the environment, sets the demands, and controls much of the dog’s experience. When something goes wrong, that responsibility must be examined.
Match Progression to Readiness
A young dog’s willingness can exceed its physical or emotional readiness. Enthusiasm is a reason to develop carefully.
Protect Communication and Trust
Reliable work depends on a functioning partnership. Confusion, conflict, and deterioration in the relationship are reasons to reconsider the approach.
Remain Responsible Throughout the Dog’s Life
Our responsibility continues as the dog’s needs change. Welfare, comfort, and companionship remain central through maturity and old age.
These experiences helped shape the framework now expressed in THE KRIEGERHUND WAY.
[Explore The Kriegerhund Way]
The Dog in Our Logo
The dog represented in the Kriegerhund K9 logo is Harvey.
His likeness gives him a permanent place in the identity of the organization. It also gives the logo a personal meaning: behind the name is a real dog and a relationship that changed the way I work.
When you see that image, you are seeing Mr. Harv’s place in our history.
A Life That Continues to Matter
Period
2016 - Harvey’s life beginS. Early development: Obedience, tracking, EXPLOSIVES DETECTION, protection foundations, and experiences that built our partnership.
2017 - WE MOVED TO FAST
HARVEY MAKES MULTIPLE CONTRACT TRIPS WITH ME, Accompanies me to Houston during the Hurricane Harvey response and celebrates his first birthday in Texas.
2018 - Rebuilding our relationship
Structured rehabilitation and a change in how I understood communication, training, and handler responsibility.
The years that followed
Our life together continues, and his lessons become part of Kriegerhund’s foundation.
July 16, 2026 - Harvey’s watch ends.
His continuing legacyHis likeness remains in the logo, and his influence remains in our standards.
Always Mr. Harv
I knew him as Harvey of Kreative. Most days, he was simply Harvey—or Mr. Harv.
He was my protector, my companion, and a dog I loved. He stood beside me through experiences I will never forget and taught me lessons
I am still responsible for putting into practice.
His story includes the work, the travel, the mistakes, and the rebuilding. It also includes a green birthday cake in Texas and all the ordinary time together that becomes extraordinary once it is gone.
I carry his influence into the way I develop dogs, teach handlers, and think about the responsibility we accept when a dog becomes our partner.
Thank you, Mr. Harv.
Your watch ended July 16, 2026. Your place here remains. WE LOVE YOU.
Jeff R. Burns