Meet Henry. Photo Credit: SeniorDogHenry/Instagram.com
Henry was a 16-year-old shelter dog. Senior animals are usually the last to be adopted, with a rate that stays at 25% consistently. That’s compared to the 60% adoption rate of puppies and younger dogs.
Senior dogs come with significant health and behavior challenges, which is why people tend to avoid them. Going to the vet can be costly.
Henry was discovered in 2021 by Zach Skow, who is the co-founder of a nonprofit in central California called Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue. Their mission is to care for pups of all ages, colors, shapes, and sizes.
Although no one knows for sure why someone surrendered Henry, it was likely due to several health issues – including cancer. When Skow met him for the first time, the senior dog could barely walk, couldn’t hear, and didn’t have sight out of one eye.
Skow said that you could feel his pain. He didn’t think Henry would make it very long, so they took him in to provide hospice care.
It Didn’t Take Long for Henry to Start Thriving
Henry went home with Skow, got a good night’s sleep, and was given some decent food. It only took a couple of days for him to become more alert.
As Henry became comfortable in his new environment, he began to run again. His playful spirit began to shine. He even became healthy enough to have life-saving surgery that removed his cancer.
That’s when Skow and his organization realized how much life Henry had left to live. It took the organization only six weeks to find a new forever home for him. His new family understands the health challenges, that he could be nearing the end of his life, and the only thing they want to do is give him happiness for his final days – however many that might be.
If Henry had been left in that shelter, he would have inevitably died alone in a strange kennel on a cold, concrete floor. His dreams of running and playing in the sunshine would have been his only respite. Thanks to Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue, he’s now loved, can love others, and make this world a richer place.
You can keep up with Henry’s adventures on Instagram. [[1]]
Watch this amazing story in action below. Warning!! May cause tears
If you'd like to help Marley's Mutts continue to rescue and rehabilitate more dogs like Henry, you can donate here.
[[1]] https://www.instagram.com/seniordoghenry/?hl=en; [[2]] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms1813431; [[3]] https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats.asp; [[4]] https://njbullying.org/documents/YVPMarch2010.pdf; [[5]] https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/20/us/thoughts-and-prayers-florida-school-shooting-trnd/index.html
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