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I say this all the time about Henry, but I can't believe it's only been 5 months. I feel like he has been in my life for forever because I just can't imagine my life without him, now.
It's fun to look back on the past posts about Henry, but looking back to just 4 months ago and reading his 1-month update, I can't believe how far he has come.
Progress
Henry was extremely scared and skittish when I first got him. I can't blame him. He was found in October and then taken in by one of the largest animal intake centers in the country (which is a kill-shelter) right on the border of Mexico. He was then rescued by Tracy's Dogs, an incredible non-profit organization that rescues dogs from kill-shelters in Texas and then adopts them out to people all over the United States. Henry was at Tracy's Dogs until I adopted him on December 16th.
Since then, he has made such progress with his friendliness to strangers. The people in my building comment often now that they can't believe how far he has come. Before, if anyone tried to pet Henry, he would go really close to my legs and look afraid and give off a 'don't pet me' vibe. But now, Henry literally lets anyone come up and pet him and is kind and friendly.
In the past 5 months, Henry had his first vet visit, he has made some dog friends and basically goes everywhere (that he is allowed ) with me. He LOVES my parent's house and my parents. He gets so excited when he sees them, it's so cute. Henry now knows, sit, come, up, paw, high five, roll over, stay, wait, and he walks next to me (for the most part) when we go on walks.
He loves cheese and apples and his favorite dog-treats are Merrick's Power bites. He also is OBSESSED with his elk antler, Orbee, and Nylabone. He continues to ruin stuffed toys in less than 5 minutes.
Struggles
The toughest thing I've dealt with is that Henry is a bit mean when I have people enter my apartment. That was the toughest thing to break him of since I got him. He's still working on this and makes progress every time someone comes into the apartment. It's just the immediate second that the person walks into the apartment that he has the issue with, then 30 seconds later, he's totally fine and uninterested. So we are still working hard on this one!
I also struggled in late-February and early March because we had such terrible weather here in Pittsburgh. Henry was so cooped up and I felt SO badly. But he definitely showed his boredom with dominance and I had to really show him who was boss and reassert myself as the 'leader of the pack'. That is what I focused on for March and he's an angel again.
I'm also struggling with his CRAZY shedding right now. If you are struggling with this, too, check out this instragram that I posted last week. I asked all of you what ways you deal with spring-time shedding and you gave some really great suggestions!
Outside
It's finally consistently warm and nice enough to take Henry for long walks every day and he LOVES it. The riverwalk has been such an incredible resource for us. Access to it is really close by, so we just walk right over and do a loop all the way down to Point State Park and back. It's usually around 3 miles so it's a nice exercise for me, too. It's hysterical when Henry sees a goose or duck, though. He wants to chase them so badly and I honestly think he would jump in the river after them if he had it his way!
My Thoughts
I feel like this is repetitive from my other updates, but Henry brings me pure happiness. I am truly obsessed with him. It's crazy to me that I haven't known him his whole life. We are the best of friends and the way he loves me almost brings me to tears sometimes. He is so kind and loving and I couldn't be happier about my decision to adopt a dog.
Tracy's Dogs
With that said, I cannot recommend Tracy's Dogs more. Something that is extremely important to me is #AdoptDontShop. I feel like there is a misconception that you might not be able to get a puppy or a certain breed that you're looking for. However, you can most definitely find exactly what you are looking for if you just stay patient and take your time. I looked for months before I adopted Henry. I had a lot of requirements on my list and it was hard to come across a dog that fit all of the requirements. It was also hard to get the dog I wanted because so many others wanted the dogs I was applying for, too. But with patience, I found Henry (via a Google search), and I can't imagine having found a more perfect match.
What's amazing about Tracy's Dogs is that unlike a lot of other shelters and agencies, you don't actually meet the dog you are adopting until after you go through with the adoption process. This can sound kind of like a negative, but now that I have Henry, I completely understand and trust their process.
They have a team of volunteers around the country that vet people and make sure they are able to take care of the dog. I went through an application process much like applying for a job. An application, a phone interview, several of my references were called and interviewed, and then I was able to speak to Tracy's Dogs in Texas to learn more about Henry and ask any questions I had.
Tracy's Dogs is very honest and upfront about the dog because it's important for them to match you with a dog that will fit your lifestyle and environment. Over the last four years, Tracy's Dogs has saved more than 4,100 dogs with pending euthanasia dates their program, providing veterinarian care, socialization, quarantine, nutrition, love, and attention before placing the dogs into loving, forever homes. Becuase they keep the dogs for a while before they are adopted, they end up truly knowing the dog really well and are able to match them with the right people. They have a re-home rate of only 1%, which is incredible!
So basically, I am getting on my soapbox to say that if you are looking to adopt a dog, consider adopting from Tracy's Dogs because the work that they do is truly incredible and brings tears to my eyes. I will be forever thankful to the non-profit for placing Henry with me. Watch this video from one of their transports. It's so heartwarming.
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