Henry

Henry has one of the saddest faces we’ve seen in a long time. He was picked as a stray and had to spend his shelter hold-time in the sick bay. He wasn’t in there because he was sick, but because the huge public shelter he was in is so packed, they had no place else to put him. When his owners didn’t come for him, he was listed as adoptable, but immediately moved to the euthanasia list. Compared to the dozens and dozens and dozens of other homeless dogs there, he wasn’t expected to adopted — and the shelter was flat out of space. We had to send a volunteer to get him immediately; he was only given a few hours for a rescue to respond.

Even though he has a truly sweet disposition and he appears to be a purebred chocolate lab, a dog that many people would be interested in adopting, Henry’s previous life isn’t one that included proper care. He has significant skin issues – allergies – that have gone untreated for quite some time. He’s nearly bald from his rib cage to the end of his tail and he’s missing fur on his legs, chest and ears. Miserable doesn’t even begin to explain how Henry must feel. It clearly shows in the sadness reflected on his face, in his eyes and in the way he holds his body.

Henry’s around 5-years-old and he weighs just over 80 pounds; he’ll weigh a bit more once he’s feeling better and is on quality food for a while. He’s a lovable boy. Our goal is to turn that sad frown into a happy face and that nearly naked body into one beautiful Lab, as quickly as possible. He’ll be happy in no time and ready to start a new life as a beloved and well-cared-for family member.

Vet update:

The vet techs that are taking care of Henry can not say enough nice things about him. Although he has clearly been neglected for quite a while, the vet staff tells us he is acting like a typical Lab. When they let him out of his run to take him for a leash walk, he’s immediately in someone’s lap before they can get the leash on him! He’s a big love-bug. He’s also smart; so far he’s proven he knows sit, stay and shake.

It will take time to get Henry’s skin back to normal and his coat to fill in and look healthy. He’s on meds, quality food and flea prevention… and he has a lot of medicated baths in his future. He’s doing great so far. We can hardly wait until he’s all better.

Foster update:

We have fallen in love with Henry. He is a great dog. He loves running in the backyard and playing fetch. He’s really good with this kids and is doing much better on the leash already. He’s also good in the car. He will make a great family dog!