Before I can even get the words out I’m flooded with Tears. We were beyond blessed to have our Hank. To learn, grow, and bond with for so many years. You see I was in high school and volunteered with Second Chance. I got an email one day that 10 puppies were coming and they would need fosters ASAP! They were too young and too little to be at the shelter. I agreed to foster two of them. When they arrived I got first pick of the two I wanted to foster. As I went to reach in the crate I never knew I was going to pull out a puppy that would end up meaning the whole world to me.
We fostered Hank and his brother for several months until they were old enough to be at the shelter. The day we gave them back my whole family cried the entire day. I continued to cry into the night. All I wanted was my Hank boy back. Dakota was the other puppy and although he was an incredible dog he was no Hank. There was just something about Hank that made him right for our family. That night at 3AM my mom came in after hearing me cry. We spent the next hour reliving moments we had with Hank. In the morning I was woken up to her asking how we went about adopting Hank because she had gotten my dad’s approval for adoption. That day we were the very first in line to adopt him.
Hank was my best friend. He spent his days riding around with me and my friends. Everywhere that I went he was never far behind. His all time favorite past time was swimming! You could not keep that boy out of the pool. The second he heard the backdoor open he would be at it, tail wagging ready to run and jump in the pool. It didn’t matter what season or temperature it was outside. It also didn’t matter what time of the day it was. He was always ready to go swimming and would hop in before you could even say no. If you told him “no pool” he would out smart you and jump in the hot tub instead. He also loved his people. He was fiercely loyal and protective.
Hank had a heart of gold. He was the very best boy. He loved to cuddle, and he thought he was a lap dog! He was always right by his families side and that’s where he seemed the happiest. He was quick to make anyone laugh. I can remember back to a day when I was in high school. It was Hanks birthday and so I pulled him into my walk in closet; with a case of cupcakes. Together we sat in my closet eating cupcakes. He got one and I got one. He thanked me with a big blue slurp. It’s a memory I will always hold in my heart.
As Hank got older he became my daughters best friend. He never strayed far from her side. However you could see his energy fading. He still loved to play but he was aging and you could tell. One day my mom took him to the vet and it was found that my boy had cancer. There was no hope he was fading to quickly for there to be any hope. He would just continue to suffer. So we had to make the hardest decision to take our boy out of his misery. Hank has been gone almost two years now but his memory will last on forever. I will always be thankful to Second Chance for bringing Hank into our lives. He brought so much joy to so many people’s lives for so many years. It’s weird not having him around. I look at the swimming pool and it just seems so empty now. It’s hard not to have his big goofy self around. I have so many memories with Hank that I will cherish for life. He taught me so much in the 10 years that we had him.