At midnight on Saturday, I had to take Henry to the emergency room. His stomach was distended and he was not himself. It was so scary because I had no idea what was wrong with him. He stayed the night in the hospital and I was able to pick him up the next evening. I felt SO bad for leaving him because he was very clearly nervous as well as in pain. I wrote this post before he went into the hospital but it's all the sweeter now that he is out and doing well!
I came across Henry in an online search. I had been casually browsing for dogs for months and not super sure about the whole idea. I also had a very specific look/breed in mind and it was surprisingly hard to find in my area. I was also set on adoption. I truly believe in adoption and would not do it another way.
I found Henry, who was then named River, ha! I remember freaking out and sending his photo to everyone. I applied for him on December 7th. On December 11th (a Monday) I had finally heard back that my application was being reviewed and my references were being contacted. The next night I received a call. had been at a Christmas party and stepped outside of the party. I actually remember this vividly. I was right outside in Market Square when the woman called and told me that I would be adopting Henry!! I cried. I was SO excited and so nervous and just couldn't believe that I would be responsible for a living thing. It was probably the most 'adult' I have ever felt.
I went straight home and started ordering alllll of the dog things on Amazon. The following day, I paid the fee for Henry and all of the arrangements were set. All of that happened in less than a week. It was nuts!
Henry came from Tracy's Dogs, a non-profit that rescues dogs in high-kill shelters- many of them are on euthanization lists. The organization is incredible and I now donate several times a year.
A hiccup came when Henry was to be delivered on Saturday, December 16th. Tracy's Dogs actually drives a huge truck around the country to deliver the dogs to their new owners. So you can't really schedule the day- it is a one-day thing! 48 other dogs were also being adopted the same day as Henry. I was panicked because I had a flight on Friday the 15th for the weekend in Martha's Vineyard for one of my best friend's wedding. I could not miss it and was so worried they were going to cancel Henry.
Luckily, they allowed my boyfriend to go pick him up for me. Looking back, I'm so sad I missed his gotcha day. Tracy's Dogs does an incredible gotcha day and it's really something special. Luckily, they live stream every gotcha day on Facebook so I was able to see Henry being picked up while I was at the cocktail hour for the wedding. I could not wait to meet him. I was obsessively texting for photos, videos, and updates all night long, ha! I joke with my friends that were getting married that day that I will forever remember their anniversary!
So, I actually didn't get to meet Henry until I was picked up at the airport late Sunday night. At first, Henry did not like me! I got in the car and wanted to hold him and Henry wanted nothing to do with me. I was sad but I chilled out because I could tell he was frightened. He had gone through so much.
That night we took him to my parents so they could meet him and so Mac could meet him. The videos that I have of Mac and Henry first meeting are one of my most cherished videos. I miss Mac daily and to see the video of the two of them is so comforting and I'm so glad Henry got to know Mac.
After that, it was just me and Henry! As soon as he started spending time at home and just being around me, he totally warmed up and after a few ,days we were the best of friends.
Since we don't know Henry's birthday, we are celebrating his gotcha day as his birthday. When I adopted Henry, he was estimated to be 2-3. I just took him to the vet last month and the vet estimated that he is a bit younger... so right now, he is around 2.5. I was really glad to hear that!
Besides his age, I wanted to know more about him. The way Tracy's Dogs described Henry before I met him is that he was an Australian Cattle dog that had been left in the dryer for too long and shrunk, ha! They were referring to his tiny stature and short little legs. Most people ask if he is a puppy because he is so small but looks just like a blue heeler. Tracy's Dogs guessed he was mixed with a corgi, which has always seemed accurate- others have guessed that, too.
Because we don't know what Henry is mixed with to make him so small, we got the Wisdom Panel dog DNA test. It's like 23 and Me but for pups. I had done the 23 and Me for myself and I loved it so I was excited to learn more about Henry.
I actually would have NEVER guessed what he is mixed with, although, now in hindsight, it totally makes sense. Henry is 50% Australian Cattle Dog, 25% chihuahua, and 25% herding dog. Chihuahua! That shocked me! But, when I google chihuahua and blue heeler, sure enough, a dog that looks SO much like Henry pops up (this is a good example photo) and it makes sense. It doesn't seem like a popular mix but they are calling it a chi-heeler, ha!
It also makes sense because Henry was found by Tracy's Dogs in the Palm Valley Animal Shelter which is about 30 minutes from the border of Mexico. I've never been to that area but it is my understanding that there is an overpopulation of stray animals in southern Texas and shelters are unable to keep up with all of the strays they are picking up daily. Apparently, many animals in that area are not spayed or neutered which causes an overpopulation problem. Hence, dogs get put down regularly because these shelters do not have the capacity to keep them.
In 2016 Palm Valley euthanized 22,000 dogs (source). Henry was a pup going down that awful road and the only reason he is alive and well today is because of Tracy's Dogs. In May of 2018, Palm Valley announced (source) that it will be working towards becoming a no-kill shelter. If you take anything away from this paragraph, that is to ADOPT (and spay and neuter your pups).
In 2016 Palm Valley euthanized 22,000 dogs (source). Henry was a pup going down that awful road and the only reason he is alive and well today is because of Tracy's Dogs. In May of 2018, Palm Valley announced (source) that it will be working towards becoming a no-kill shelter. If you take anything away from this paragraph, that is to ADOPT (and spay and neuter your pups).
Now that Henry has been with me for 365-days, I could not imagine life without him. I always say this and it is so cheesy but he truly makes every single day better. Even the bad days are good because of my sweet Hen.
It just melts my heart to see how much he loves me and how much he loves my friends and family. He is truly the most velcro dog ever. He is at my side at all times. Even when he lays on the couch, his body is either laying on me or right up against me. He lays on my feet when I'm at my desk and he sleeps right up against me at night. When I get up to switch rooms, he is right behind me following me right into the new room.
He is the funniest with my mom. He is truly obsessed with her and loves her so much. He spends a lot of time at my parent's house because I'm often at their house or because they are babysitting him while I am traveling. Whenever he first sees my mom, he goes wild for her. It's too funny.
He has all of his commands down perfectly, he is well behaved when he is left alone and is not timid or skittish at all anymore. It's kind of crazy to think how timid and scared he was for the first few weeks. It is almost hard to remember now that he is so comfortable and happy.
My parents always say that Henry hit the jackpot because I spoil him so much. But I truly think that I hit the jackpot. We always say that we can't imagine that there could ever be a dog as loving or loyal or as well behaved as our sweet Mac, but Henry almost lives up to it. Almost. No one will ever replace my Mac, though.
So happy gotcha day/birthday to my sweet, Henry! Here's to many more!
So happy gotcha day/birthday to my sweet, Henry! Here's to many more!
