Sidekick is lost in blaze

He was her best friend, he was her family. And he never left her side.

When Connie Bartels first met Harley, a 7-pound Yorkshire terrier, he had been rescued from an abusive home by a friend. She felt an instant bond with the sweet-faced puppy, and knew they had to be together. Her friend saw the connection instantly, too, and relinquished ownership.

It turned out to be a gift that would keep on giving until Harley's death Monday, when flames erupted in the kitchen of the New Port Richey home Bartels shares with her two teenage daughters.

The past seven years have been tough on the Bartels family. Bartels and her husband split up and the family lost their 3,400-square-foot home in Nashville, Tenn. Soon after, Bartels' mother, Patricia Wolfe, had a stroke. So she packed up her girls, abandoned her accounting career and moved to Florida to care for her ailing mother.

Then, on Nov. 30, 2006, Bartels took yet another blow. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 45. About a month later, she had a lumpectomy, followed by more than four months of chemotherapy and eight weeks of radiation for five days a week.

The 48-year-old is in remission now. She thought things were going well until she received a phone call about 1:30 p.m. Monday telling her that her house was on fire.

She rushed from her job as a medical assistant to her home at 6339 Delaware Ave.

"My animals," she shouted toward the police officer and firefighters. "What about my animals?"

In the home's only bathroom, off a hallway behind the kitchen, New Port Richey firefighters discovered Harley overcome by the smoke that had filled the home.

Bartels, normally a strong and composed woman, crumpled. Her legs gave out and she buckled to the ground with her face in her hands, sobbing.

Wednesday afternoon, she stood in her living room where black soot now covers the ceiling and looks as if it's dripping down the walls. Bartels took a deep breath and shook her head.

"It's just surreal," she said. "I just can't believe Harley is gone."

Next to her is a boarded-up window behind the couch. It was Harley's spot.

"He would sit in the window and wait for me until I got home," she said.

When Harley acted like a tough pup, he thought he was boss of Bartels' two 60-pound dogs. Those dogs are doing fine; one was in a closed laundry room, the other outside during the fire. Two cats also survived.

"He didn't know he was 7 pounds," she said of Harley.

When a motorcycle drove by, Harley would bark and growl, earning the name Bartels' friend gave him. When anyone approached Bartels, Harley would transform into "Cujo," showing his teeth, ready to protect his owner. And sometimes, he even wore a studded Harley collar.

But when it was just Bartels and Harley, he was her angel. He cuddled with her, even sleeping under the blankets with her each night. When the chemo made her sick, he followed her into the bathroom.

He never left her side.

"He would literally look her in the eye and try to read her emotions and then give her a kiss," said her daughter, Katie, 15.

Harley knew she was sick and he wanted to help her. And he did.

He was "everything," Bartels said about that that difficult time.

"He was my emotional support. He was my rock," she said. "He was there with those little perky eyes."

The thought of him cowering in the bathroom tears at her heart.

"He must've been so scared," she said, her voice quivering. "I hope he wasn't in any pain."

The fire started at the stove, the fire chief said.

Just 30 minutes before the blaze, Bartels was home for lunch, grabbing a cold turkey sandwich. She said she never turned on the stove. She made lunch, ate and let out the dogs, bringing two back in before returning to work.

The fire itself was contained to the kitchen, but smoke and water damage spread throughout the house. The air inside was still thick with smoke two days later. The tile floors were covered with soggy insulation and dirt. A phone hanging on the wall was melted, as was the back of the stove, parts of a new refrigerator and a Dixie cup holder. The cabinets were burned.

Bartels isn't sure if insurance will pay to repair the home. It's actually her mother's home and after her stroke, she moved to an assisted living facility. Bartels has been working two jobs - a second as a telemarketer - to support her family. She admits she wasn't careful when going through the mail and she recently discovered she missed a couple of homeowner's insurance payments. Evidently, she said, she also missed the cancellation notice until it was too late. Her new policy was supposed to start next week. Until they figure out what they can do, they're staying with friends.

Despite the grim outlook, her daughters, Katie and Danielle, 18, still make her smile and laugh as they wrap her in hugs while they reminisce about Harley.

He was not just a pet. He was family.

"She actually said he was her husband," Katie said about her mom and Harley.

They all giggled. The girls will be her rock now.

"We're strong like bulls is what we say," Bartels explained. "Tragedy brings family closer."