Goodbye

   
     Henry has been adopted. A young couple has made him a part of their family and it looks like Henry will have a wonderful life. If only I had one more month. A month in which I had all the time I needed to work with Henry. He could have arrived to his new home as a dog that does not react to other dogs. They would have been able to walk him anywhere and not worry about his barking.
     But that month does not exist. Time to spend with Henry was becoming scarce. An important factor in deciding to foster a dog was the fact that I was unemployed. I have since started working part time and have been taking on more and more hours. So the timing of Henry's adoption was fortuitous. And Henry's training is not supposed to be about my sense of accomplishment, it's supposed to be about Henry. There is no reason that his new family cannot train him as well or better than I.
     I could not be home when Henry left, I was at work. I left the house in the morning and when I returned in the evening he was gone. Zico and I went on a walk that night, just the two of us. Zico was in good spirits, he always is. But I cried a little from missing Henry. I still miss him. His new family is writing a blog about him so I can read about him, see pictures, and even video.
     http://sirhenrythehound.blogspot.com/
     I am glad I fostered him. My rhetoric about it being about Henry notwithstanding, it has indeed been a rewarding experience. We gave a temporary home to a being in need. And he moved on, better socialized, better trained, more confident and healthier. In return he gave us his goofiness, his challenges along with the reward of rising to them, and (very occasionally, since he is not demonstrative) his love.
     I still miss him. I probably will for a long time. I might never see him again. But heaven is where I can play with Henry (and Zico, and Davey, and Doobie, and Beta, and Rusty) forever. With no excessive barking.