Rescue Tails / No More Laments
By Cathy Baier
“Poor John Henry!” We found ourselves saying this over and over again as the days passed with John Henry in our care. We first met JH in early 2019 when his owner couldn’t keep him. We adopted him quickly and he was in that home for the next year and a half until health issues forced the adopter to return him. When he came in, he tested heartworm positive and we began his treatment.
During this extended time with us, we really got to know and appreciate his potential to be a great companion which made his presence with us a little harder to accept. “Poor John Henry” became a common lament among us. We said it when he went on restricted activity as the heartworm treatment began. We said it when he could not remain in a wonderful foster home because he “liked” their cat too much. We said it as we watched him spend the weeks on cage rest as he progressed through his treatment. And then we said it too many times to count as potential adopters failed to fall in love with him the way we had. They would meet him, comment on how sweet he was, but then decide he wasn’t what they were looking for and move on to someone else. While we understood, our disappointment each time this happened was apparently much more than John Henry ever felt because he just kept on smiling! Looking back now, we like to think he knew something we didn’t….
Most of the people who looked at John Henry were just looking for a friendly dog but Vicky came specifically to meet him after seeing his pictures and video on social media. She thought he might be a good friend for her and her son. When the three of them met, we were impressed by Vicky’s common sense, awareness, and respectfulness towards a dog. Her son, Jake, was kind and gentle. John Henry felt it too and their interaction quickly turned into an all around love-fest. So after five months of not finding a home, it happened. Vicky announced they wanted to adopt John Henry!
The very first pictures Vicky shared with us after taking him home told us why John Henry never stopped smiling. Maybe he did know all along that this was what he was waiting for!
Update: John Henry now enjoys walks in his neighborhood and play dates with friends. He has nighttime snuggles with Jake and is appreciated by neighbors who describe him as kind and sweet. One new JH fan said “ John Henry is my new neighbor. So gentle. Always polite when his momma walks him!!! We are so happy for this boy and grateful to his family that we don’t have to say “Poor John Henry” anymore.
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