22-053 Henry  was 9 months old at intake. He is a blond Goldendoodle who came with anxieties and fears about everything unfamiliar – noises, places, people – and would cower and try to run away . The owners had purchased him at age 5 months ( Oh, he was so cute, we couldn’t resist ) from a pet store. Dogs that are sold in pet stores almost always come from puppy mills, which are horrible places. The dogs they breed are kept in small crates, never exercised, and many develop outright neuroses. Puppies are weaned  way from the mother usually by 4 weeks and not socialized at all.  Henry  exhibited many traits of puppy mill dogs. He was afraid to go outdoors and had to be carried over the threshold and out to the yard to do his business, then would tear back into the house and go to a corner in the kitchen and just shake and quake. The family tried to help him get over his fears and even resorted to getting anti-anxiety medication from their vet. He was on so much of this med when he came to  AGR  that he acted doped up. Our vet said the dog was on way too high a dose and gave the foster instructions for gradually reducing the amount (he is now off this med completely). He was placed in a foster home with an adoptive couple in Sun City . When they lived in the Midwest, they used to raise Golden Retrievers, so they were quite used to dealing with puppies but not with one who was afraid of everything. With a lot of time and patience,  Henry  has started to come  out of his shell and is learning to be a DOG. The  couple grew to love him and decided to adopt  him. They have been given an adoption adden dum that provides for the neuter surgery when  Henry  is about a year old. They said: 

Henry  has been a blessing and joy to us since he ar rived. He has been very helpful in carrying the  socks into the laundry room, always comes to sit  in the kitchen when I make dinner, and is first to  get the mail as it comes through the door slot. T he birds used to make him run back into the  house, but now he chases birds, a rabbit and grasshoppers. And  most of all, at night we finish the day with a group hug and say  Thank You for our beloved  Henry . 

Wow,  Henry , did you ever end up in the best possible place!