Bear’s passing has had a huge effect on all of us, including Hank. As she was the doggie pack leader here, Hank was lost for the first few days after she died. He still occasionally looks for her when it’s time to go outside. I thought that today, to honor him, too, I’d re-share his story and how he became part of our family.
We adopted Hank in 2011 from Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta. We had been looking for a friend for The Dog Who Doesn’t Eat Pizza, Bear, but Bear was a tough sell. She was a dominant alpha female, and didn’t so much love other dogs.
When a volunteer/friend from Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta called me and said they had the perfect friend for Bear, I was curious. I dropped everything and drove out to the ‘burbs to meet this boy.
I walked in to the foster home where Hank was staying, sat on the floor to play with him, and he immediately came over and sat in my lap.
That was it. He was coming home with me. It was as if I had “sucker” plastered across my forehead. I was sunk.
As you can see, he’s pretty psyched, too.
Hank’s story is not uncommon. His parent fell upon hard financial times and couldn’t keep him. His parent had had him since he was a pup – for almost six years, in fact – and thus Hank now has some separation anxiety issues.
He is usually with me, at my feet or sitting on me. Yes, on me. All 72 lbs. of him. You can often see him in my pictures on the blog, helping with or supervising my projects.
He is storm-phobic, like many retrievers, and thus wants to be on top of someone during a storm. He even climbed in the shower with my daughter once during a storm! (That did NOT go over well with her.)
He is a love. I’m so grateful he adopted us. Even Bear liked him, although she never would have admitted it.
Hank died in May 2020 of heart failure, which is so hard to imagine since he was all heart. What a love he was.
If you are thinking of getting a pet, please rescue one! There are so many animals in need of homes and love and, I promise, they rescue you right back. If you want any information about rescuing dogs in Atlanta, I can give you some information about rescue groups – just email me. If you are outside of Atlanta, please google the breed you want + rescue and I’m certain you will find a rescue group. Or try Petfinder or your local humane society.
Dogs Don't Eat Pizza 
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