Adopted

Hennessy came to us the first week of January, and he was still a puppy--only about 11 months old. He was thin, seemed laid back and a little cool toward us. He established himself as the head dog of the family and went about his business. I found out that he had been "arrested" with his pal, and their owners wouldn't pay the fine to get them out of jail (AKA the shelter). That explained a lot about Hennessey. He had never experienced a home with love. People were not reliable and didn't even provide a good meal. We set out to change his point of view. It didn't take long for him to realize that people can be kind, and that if you are nice in return, you get hugs and treats. He proved to be a quick study. He started sleeping next to my bed, and has remained there each night for more than six months. He has also adopted my library chair...

Now, let's back up a bit. I'm a dog trainer and planned to train Hennessey in obedience for Gold Ribbon to make him even more adoptable. I gave him a week to adjust to home life and then we started "school." It only took about 5 minutes to figure out that something was terribly wrong. He coughed and wheezed while learning to heel. He coughed and wheezed many times during the night. The GRR vet X-rayed his chest and found that he had up to then, chronic and untreated bronchitis. We also suspected that he was experiencing a lot of pain in his hips. We decided to cure the bronchitis and then evaluate the hip problem. The bronchitis healed beautifully, but we ultimately discovered that the hip problem was serious...Hennessey would need an operation on each hip.

Hennessey was a lucky dog because GRR said, "Yes, he can get his hips fixed" and did so 3 months ago. It's been a long road to recovery. But last week he started putting weight back on and is using all four feet to play and romp again. Through all his trials, he never stopped looking at me with his big eyes. He is a smart dog--he even figured out how to communicate to us that he wanted more corn starch on his skin to help the itching where he was shaved! (He also figured out how to shred an Elizabethan collar--it didn't agree with his sense of style).

He is a great companion in the house--he is a perfect gentleman. Outside, he has plenty of energy and loves to romp with other dogs and REALLY loves to play ball. He loves rides in the car. He is not overly sensitive to storms. He gets along with the dogs in the house and ignores cats. Who would waste time on a cat when you can have biscuits for looking cute? He loves to play hard with my female collie, and has never tried to hurt her. He is friendly around strangers and is very affectionate when he gets to know you--he would like to think he's a lap dog. He loves stuffed toys and tennis balls. In fact, his teddy bear had to go to the hospital with him every time he went! He is polite but not overly comfortable with active, small children....he prefers to go to the library and listen to Beethoven when they are visiting us.

Hennessey is a great dog, and would do wonderfully in a relatively quiet home with lots of love, and perhaps another dog to play with.

View Pictures Here