Laura McKelvey is the shelter manager at PAWS Atlanta and she has quite the story to tell about Henry. Laura says that he is a very good dog who is gentle, kind and loyal to those who are good to him. Surprisingly, Henry has yet to find a home to call his own. The nine year old mastiff has been in search of a forever home for over two years now and has not seemed to have any luck finding one.
He was found as a stray back in 2016. After being taken to DeKalb County Animal Services, the PAWS team offered him a new home in the meantime. They knew that Henry would probably struggle to find a home because people are less likely to adopt senior dogs. However, they believed that his demeanor would allow him to sidestep these sorts of hurdles.
Laura thought that his behavior would be exactly what people were looking for but this was not the case. Henry was taken in along with two other senior dogs named Jitterbug and Harvey. The PAWS crew did not lose hope and they continued to bring Henry to various events in hopes that he could find a home. After awhile, Henry started to experience more serious problems.
He was tired and depressed all of the time. His stomach was becoming distended. He no longer wanted to go for walks and was turning into a very sedentary dog. After some tests were run, Henry was eventually diagnosed with Cushing’s disease. This went a long way towards explaining the problems that he was experiencing. The medication that he was given began to work right away and he was restored to normalcy.
While this was certainly good news, Henry still needed to find a home before it was too late. Henry needs a certain amount of stability and the shelter is looking for someone who is willing to serve as a lifetime foster parent. In essence, the person would have full ownership of Henry and receive all of the help that they need when it comes to his medical bills.
Please be sure to pick up the phone and contact PAWS Atlanta if you are looking to provide Henry with the home that he deserves. Take a moment to pass this story along as well. You never know, Harvey’s next home just might be under your nose after all!
