Hank's Journey

Hank's Story: In the middle of October, 2022, I saw a post on a local Facebook site that said a dog, who had been seen wandering for days, wandered into a family's garage when they opened the garage door, collapsed, and couldn't/wouldn't get up. Not being able to say no to an animal in need, I volunteered to pick up the dog and take him to the vet to see if he was microchipped. Little did I know this was only the beginning.

Hank was not microchipped (nor were there any missing dog signs, or posts) and was in a very obvious medically compromised state. Additionally, he was malnourished, and severely dehydrated. The vet stayed late to give Hank IV fluids and we made a plan for me to bring him back in the morning for more treatment. I stayed in my garage with him as I was cautious of the potential for transmittable diseases entering my home where my 2 dogs live. He deteriorated overnight, keeping nothing down. He laid there, eyes sunken, barely strong enough to hold his head up while I comforted him, sang to him and made sure he continued to breathe. I took him back to the vet immediately upon opening the next morning.

From there, the town of Agassiz and village of Harrison Hot Springs came together to support Hank, as I collected items for him and donations to cover the cost of his multi-day life-saving vet treatment. For 3 or 4 days, he was at the vet from 8:30-5:00, and I continued administering medication and IV fluids overnight before returning him to the vet the next morning.

Within days, life began to rise up in Hank's eyes, and he was medically stable enough to start his healing journey at home.

A local amazing family following Hank's journey adopted him after meeting with me and meeting Hank.

Hank's new dad fell in love with him and gave him a safe place to heal. When well enough, Hank was vaccinate and neutered. We began to see Hank's playful personality emerge as he gained health.

Tragically, Hank did not do well with the kids in his new family so I took him back and began to look for yet another new home for him. Within a week, the extent of his trauma and anxiety was so evident that I knew separating him from me (whom he was beginning to get to know again) could potentially cause irreparable emotional damage. My family and I made the decision to add Hank to our family as our third dog; Hank becoming the VERY big (but younger) brother to my 9 year old Bichon and 7 year old rescue.

We have had Hank for 2 months now and he has had many many vet trips (gut infections, anxiety, medications, becoming lame, etc) and his expenses have added up.

Perhaps more troubling than his medical journey has been his intense anxiety and PTSD. Hank’s anxiety is so profound that the only time Hank can ever sit down in the house is when we are seated and still. Otherwise, he is pacing and jumping at every sound, and running up and down the stairs, searching for safety. We are working emotionally and behaviourally to help him and have also tried a few medications to reduce his anxiety but he had bad gut reactions to them. He is now on week 2 of fluoxetine and his gut has been stable so fingers crossed this may help. In addition to medication, I would love to hire an expert who can guide us in how to work with Hank to increase his felt sense of safety and security without becoming 100% on us for regulation. Watching the level of fear and anxiety in him is heart-wrenching. Seeing him cower when I hold anything in my hand breaks my heart as he thinks he will be hit with it. I can't imagine his past - but I want his future to be bright.

Hank was not expected or planned but has fallen into our laps and we wouldn’t change this for the world. We love him like he has been here all his life. His medical needs were not accounted for in the budget and his care, medication, physical needs, and training will be an ongoing expense. I am sharing his story in hopes to raise funds to hire a trainer/expert for guidance in his emotional recovery, and for assisting in the expenses of his ongoing physical recovery. He has been lame twice and there may be larger issues with his shoulder that need addressing.

In the meantime, I am 100% dedicated to Hank and every time he wags his tail in delight, I breathe a sigh of relief. He is such a good boy. Eager to please, loves to play with his sisters, and becoming very affectionate. He has his own Facebook page where you can see videos of his transformation. (I originally started his page when I was looking for a new home for him before making the decision to welcome him permanently into my home). The URL is: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090746084625

Thank you for supporting Hank - one dog’s journey to learn to trust again and to heal from so much pain.