Hank Gets Healthy for the Holidays
Donation protected
Remember Hank the white German shepherd who found his way 11 miles back to his foster home? We are happy to report that his foster mom is going to adopt him, but we have to get him healthy first! He needs to gain weight and be treated for heartworms Read Hank's story below:
Hank’s story begins at Memphis Animal Services. We are not sure what Hank’s life was like before we met him, but he was brought into the shelter as a stray. He was very thin and terrified. He was afraid of the noises and the people there and his time was up. A Streetdog volunteer heard about this sweet boy and we decided that we could not leave him there. Our friends at Save Our Shepherds rescue offered their help and had a potential home lined up for Hank. We only had 8 hours to save him, so another Streetdog volunteer, Rachel, agreed to go to the shelter and save Hank for us.
Hank arrived at his temporary foster home 2 days later after being neutered. At first, he was still scared, but bonded quickly with his German shepherd, pit bull, and husky roommates. He went to the vet to get a checkup and we found out that he was full of worms, weighed 68 pounds (he should weigh about 85!), and was heartworm positive. Life on the streets had not been good to Hank.
After a day in a real home with a warm bed and a lot of yummy food, Hank began bonding with his temporary foster mom. It only took a few hours and he was snuggled up with her in bed resting like he never had before. He was taking medication to treat his worms and to prepare for heartworm treatment and felt better every day. Once he was feeling rested, it was time for him to move on to his longer term foster home where he was going to be temperament tested to be sure that he would fit in well in his adoptive home with an older woman who requested a calm dog.
At his long term foster home, there was another white German shepherd there and they got along really well. Initial reports were that he was nervous, but settling in enough to be a counter surfer! We learned that Hank loves cookies and is not afraid to help himself. Two days after he arrived, his foster mom left to run some errands. When she returned, her back door was open and Hank was gone. Hank somehow managed to open the door himself and dig out under the fence! We knew he was smart, but wow!
Hank’s foster immediately took her dog and began to look for him. She sent a message to her friends at Streetdog Foundation and Save Our Shepherds and a search crew quickly formed. The first crew arrived on the scene 20 minutes after being notified that he was missing. Within an hour 10 people, including his first foster, were also looking for him. Volunteers were posting on Facebook, Twitter, and Next Door, and driving and walking around the neighborhood. We searched until dark. A notification from some neighbors nearby led us back out later that night to High Point Terrace and Galloway Golf Course, but we did not find him. For the next 2 days there were more than 400 shares of our social media posts and the administrators for Lost and Found Pets of the Mid-South joined in to help us find Hank. While we drove around, they monitored sightings and relayed information to us via text message.
It seemed like every dog spotted in Memphis those 2 days were white German shepherds! We followed every lead and did our best to eliminate those that were not likely to be him (dogs that were not skinny, dogs with curly tails, dogs with different colored collars than Hank’s). There were more than 25 people looking for Hank at all hours of the day and night. We started plotting his movements on a map. The Save Our Shepherds director said, “I think Hank is trying to go back to his first foster’s house.” Watching his movements, it really did look like he was going there. The interesting part is that Hank was picked up by a volunteer from the vet and transported to his second foster from there, so how could he possibly find his way back?
On the night of November 3, we were all starting to lose hope. We were exhausted. Another tip came in that was near the original sightings, so a team of volunteers went back to High Point while residents of the neighborhood helped us to track the dog they saw. While they were searching, another Streetdog volunteer was on her way to meet some friends. She saw a white German shepherd with a yellow collar running down the street. It was Hank! She called another Streetdog volunteer who lived nearby for some help. Together, they followed him. He turned on his first foster’s street, he ran straight up to her house and sat down on the front porch. He was wary of the volunteers who approached him, but he followed them into the back yard. He began scratching at the door and windows trying to get in.
His first foster raced back home from where she was searching and when he saw her, he ran to her, wagged his tail and leaned in for her to hug him. After the celebrating was over, we retraced his steps on the map and found that Hank traveled 11 miles from his second foster’s home to get back to her. So many of the calls and texts we received from the public said “he is moving with a mission” or “he seems determined to get somewhere”. He was. He was trying to get home.
Many people have been following Hank’s story and want to know what will happen next. Hank is going to stay with his first foster forever! The road will still be a long one. Hank has to gain weight and get healthy. Heartworm treatment is expensive and painful, but Hank has a lot of folks on his side.
Thanks to the folks at Streetdog Foundation who agreed to take Hank is as part of thier rescue. Finally, many thanks to all of the volunteers who helped us look for Hank. Special thanks to Save Our Shepherds Rescue for partnering with us to save him from the shelter and for working so quickly to find a forever home for him, even though Hank decided it was not the perfect home for him. Thanks to all of the Streetdog and Save Our Shepherds volunteers who drove around and helped us monitor sightings on the internet. Thanks to the volunteers at Lost and Found Pets of the Mid-South who helped us manage all of the information. And, of course, Hank wants to thank his Rachel for agreeing to be his mom.
Donations beyond the cost of his treatment will be used for other dogs in need.
Hank’s story begins at Memphis Animal Services. We are not sure what Hank’s life was like before we met him, but he was brought into the shelter as a stray. He was very thin and terrified. He was afraid of the noises and the people there and his time was up. A Streetdog volunteer heard about this sweet boy and we decided that we could not leave him there. Our friends at Save Our Shepherds rescue offered their help and had a potential home lined up for Hank. We only had 8 hours to save him, so another Streetdog volunteer, Rachel, agreed to go to the shelter and save Hank for us.
Hank arrived at his temporary foster home 2 days later after being neutered. At first, he was still scared, but bonded quickly with his German shepherd, pit bull, and husky roommates. He went to the vet to get a checkup and we found out that he was full of worms, weighed 68 pounds (he should weigh about 85!), and was heartworm positive. Life on the streets had not been good to Hank.
After a day in a real home with a warm bed and a lot of yummy food, Hank began bonding with his temporary foster mom. It only took a few hours and he was snuggled up with her in bed resting like he never had before. He was taking medication to treat his worms and to prepare for heartworm treatment and felt better every day. Once he was feeling rested, it was time for him to move on to his longer term foster home where he was going to be temperament tested to be sure that he would fit in well in his adoptive home with an older woman who requested a calm dog.
At his long term foster home, there was another white German shepherd there and they got along really well. Initial reports were that he was nervous, but settling in enough to be a counter surfer! We learned that Hank loves cookies and is not afraid to help himself. Two days after he arrived, his foster mom left to run some errands. When she returned, her back door was open and Hank was gone. Hank somehow managed to open the door himself and dig out under the fence! We knew he was smart, but wow!
Hank’s foster immediately took her dog and began to look for him. She sent a message to her friends at Streetdog Foundation and Save Our Shepherds and a search crew quickly formed. The first crew arrived on the scene 20 minutes after being notified that he was missing. Within an hour 10 people, including his first foster, were also looking for him. Volunteers were posting on Facebook, Twitter, and Next Door, and driving and walking around the neighborhood. We searched until dark. A notification from some neighbors nearby led us back out later that night to High Point Terrace and Galloway Golf Course, but we did not find him. For the next 2 days there were more than 400 shares of our social media posts and the administrators for Lost and Found Pets of the Mid-South joined in to help us find Hank. While we drove around, they monitored sightings and relayed information to us via text message.
It seemed like every dog spotted in Memphis those 2 days were white German shepherds! We followed every lead and did our best to eliminate those that were not likely to be him (dogs that were not skinny, dogs with curly tails, dogs with different colored collars than Hank’s). There were more than 25 people looking for Hank at all hours of the day and night. We started plotting his movements on a map. The Save Our Shepherds director said, “I think Hank is trying to go back to his first foster’s house.” Watching his movements, it really did look like he was going there. The interesting part is that Hank was picked up by a volunteer from the vet and transported to his second foster from there, so how could he possibly find his way back?
On the night of November 3, we were all starting to lose hope. We were exhausted. Another tip came in that was near the original sightings, so a team of volunteers went back to High Point while residents of the neighborhood helped us to track the dog they saw. While they were searching, another Streetdog volunteer was on her way to meet some friends. She saw a white German shepherd with a yellow collar running down the street. It was Hank! She called another Streetdog volunteer who lived nearby for some help. Together, they followed him. He turned on his first foster’s street, he ran straight up to her house and sat down on the front porch. He was wary of the volunteers who approached him, but he followed them into the back yard. He began scratching at the door and windows trying to get in.
His first foster raced back home from where she was searching and when he saw her, he ran to her, wagged his tail and leaned in for her to hug him. After the celebrating was over, we retraced his steps on the map and found that Hank traveled 11 miles from his second foster’s home to get back to her. So many of the calls and texts we received from the public said “he is moving with a mission” or “he seems determined to get somewhere”. He was. He was trying to get home.
Many people have been following Hank’s story and want to know what will happen next. Hank is going to stay with his first foster forever! The road will still be a long one. Hank has to gain weight and get healthy. Heartworm treatment is expensive and painful, but Hank has a lot of folks on his side.
Thanks to the folks at Streetdog Foundation who agreed to take Hank is as part of thier rescue. Finally, many thanks to all of the volunteers who helped us look for Hank. Special thanks to Save Our Shepherds Rescue for partnering with us to save him from the shelter and for working so quickly to find a forever home for him, even though Hank decided it was not the perfect home for him. Thanks to all of the Streetdog and Save Our Shepherds volunteers who drove around and helped us monitor sightings on the internet. Thanks to the volunteers at Lost and Found Pets of the Mid-South who helped us manage all of the information. And, of course, Hank wants to thank his Rachel for agreeing to be his mom.
Donations beyond the cost of his treatment will be used for other dogs in need.
Organizer
Tiffany Ford
Organizer
Memphis, TN
