Online hearts are melting as they watch a rescue dog’s incredible recovery after discovering his forever home.
In August 2020, a severely malnourished Henry was found chained in a Chinese culvert. Two years ago, a couple adopted the golden retriever from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is currently living the most wonderful life.
Henry’s owners Lindsay and Brandon Pabula (@hangingwith henry) released a tape on TikTok on October 18 that showed glimpses of his new life, including outings to the park, home-cooked dinners, and naps with his sisters Bailey and Ellie.
Users moved by Henry’s story have watched the video more than 60,500 times and given it more than 8,000 likes in just two days.
International Dog Adoptions are on the Rise
The 2021 study published in PLOS One, the journal PLOS Two, suggested that there was an increase during the COVID-19 epidemic. This is despite the fact the exact number of dogs that are imported to the United States each year being unknown and hard to measure. Researchers believe that the increase was due to an increase in pet adoptions after the lockdown.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of canines who were denied admission rose 52% by 2020. False or faulty vaccinations were the leading cause. The study’s authors hypothesized that the demand for dogs resulted in attempts to circumvent or violate restrictions by foreign merchants and that as pet adoption rates increased, fewer canines were being given to domestic shelters.
“The Life He Fully Deserves”
The TikTok video opens with a moving shot showing Henry, a chained-up dog, in a dark tunnel. The next clip features Henry cuddling up with his new owners Lindsay, and Brandon.
Henry is also seen snuggled up on a bed, playing in the park with his sisters, dressed up for Christmas (he gets an ornament), and celebrating his birthday with cake, party hats, and cake.
Lindsay says Henry was not only extremely overweight but also had maggot infected wounds. He was surviving on the larvae which had fallen to the floor.
We don’t know how long he was chained there, but a passerby informed the rescue group where he came from, and they were able to take him to a nearby vet, the woman said.
@hangingwith_henryLife update for the person who left me #goldenretriever #dogsoftiktok #abandoneddog #newlife #DidYouYawn ♬ Possibility – Lykke Li
Henry spent the next several months recovering at the vet after surgery to remove maggots from his wounds. This was likely due to a dog attack. After being adopted by Brandon and Lindsay, Henry spent a few months in foster care.
After seeing Henry on Instagram, we applied to adopt him.
“Three months later he went to the United States; we were chosen to be his family. We picked him up in Seattle and drove him across the nation to our house in North Carolina.”
Lindsay claims Henry, who is 9 years old now, acts and looks much younger. Although his injuries left scarrings, he is otherwise well and has gained 12 lbs since moving into his final house.
Lindsay reports that he’s a 5/5 on a physical scale for his current weight of 65 lbs. He is so friendly with his veterinarian and makes him happy to go!
Ellie and Bailey, Henry’s two canine siblings, and he have formed a strong bond.
According to Lindsay, “Ellie bonded with him right away and then kept her distance for almost a year.”
“We constantly joke that Henry is in love with her since he seems to flirt with her more than play with her and she plays hard to get.
“His other sister is Bailey, and getting to know her took some time. Bailey was an only child for five-years, so it is difficult for her to welcome new dogs into the family.
They have a great time playing together and they get along so well. She adored him after three months of being at home.
Henry loves to play with his sisters and his own toys, his favorite being the rubber balls. He also enjoys taking family vacations to and from the beach, as well as swimming in his backyard pool.
Melissa Hurley dubbed the video “wonderful,” and TikTok users couldn’t get enough of Henry and his joyful household.
Source: Newsweek
