Senior dogs are the soul and heart of every shelter. Typically mellow, affectionate, and all about cozy cuddles and sunbathing, they often make ideal pets. Yet, many of them are overlooked because of their age.
Henree, however, wasn’t left out because he was undesirable — his story was even more heartbreaking.
Due to his hearing impairment, the dog at a local shelter in Los Angeles, California, was accidentally forgotten, having slept through the entire fire evacuation.
Cozily tucked into the corner of his kennel, Henree was unaware of what was happening. When he woke up, he remained the only one out of sixty dogs at the shelter. Needless to say, he was completely confused.
He Was The Only One In The Shelter
Unlike his furry buddies, Henree was the only dog at the California shelter who didn’t bark during the emergency evacuation amid the LA fires. The reason? He’s a deaf senior who wasn’t bothered by all the noise.
The shelter volunteers, frantically running and saving dogs’ lives, didn’t have time to do the final walk-through. As a result, Henree was accidentally forgotten.
“Forced to move quickly under life-threatening circumstances, shelter staff had no time to do a final walk-through before they were ordered to leave the property. In the chaos, Henree was accidentally left behind,” CUDDLY stated in a Facebook post.
Upon realizing he was left behind, the shelter staff immediately sprang into action. They urged the local rescuers in the area to help Henree, and in only 24 hours, a group of kindhearted people stepped up.
The volunteers at Starts With One Today took over Henree’s rescue. When they arrived at the shelter, they heard Henree barking in confusion.
Unfortunately, Henree’s extensive stay at the shelter caused him severe smoke inhalation, which already added to his existing intestinal parasite issue.
Given the fact that he was a senior, the rescuers knew he wasn’t exactly in his prime. However, during his recovery process, Henree showed remarkable spirit!
Not long after, he completely recovered. All he needed was minor medical treatment and lots of TLC.
Miraculous Update
Thanks to Henree’s rescuers, this resilient boi was placed in a foster home in record time. Dillon and Olivia, a couple who embraced Henree with an open heart, couldn’t be more excited to help this cuddle bug get back on track.
However, what started out as a fostering mission turned out to be the perfect foster fail! Within days of his stay with a foster mom and dad, Henree stole their hearts, making it official. He was adopted!
“It didn’t take long for them to be unable to imagine their lives without him, so they decided to make things permanent. Henree was officially adopted, and he will spend the rest of his days being loved and cherished,” CUDDLY wrote.
This miraculous update was everything everyone involved in Henree’s rescue had hoped for.
From a harrowing twenty-four hour-long situation to a forever home, Henree’s adoption story is truly a testament to the great things a community can do together. And, thanks to his community, Henree, a senior deaf pup, now finally has a home to live in.
Happy golden years, sweet boy!