He was aggressive, so he had to euthanized. Can we save Henry?

Henry’s family accused him of being aggressive towards them. They said they had to defend themselves because he would try to bite them. They called animal control and insisted Henry be picked up because they could handle him. This is Henry's true rescue story.
The shelter staff was required to put him on a one week euthanasia list because he was accused of biting people. He was in the back kennel, out of public view because of what he was accused of, and could not be adopted out because he could be a danger to people. He could only pulled by a certified dog rescue such as Foster Tales, but we can’t handle aggressive dogs.
The shelter staff said Henry’s story didn’t add up, and they knew something had to be done. That’s when they called Courtney to take a look at this sweet dog. They knew they could save his life if they could convince a rescue to pull him, and it was coming down to the wire for Henry.
Dog shelter adoption is down. We pull dogs and keep them in foster care until we can find them a forever home.
We are Foster Tails Rescue in Bakersfield California. We are a registered 501c3 Nonprofit organization whose mission is to rescue dogs from our local shelters and adopt them into good homes. We try to pull the harder to place dogs and rely exclusively on volunteer fostering to care for our available pups, and teach them how to live in a home with a family.
We want to give a special thank you the the staff of the Kern County Animal Shelter for their help and support with Henry's rescue.
** More About Foster Tales **
How can you help?
Our April Care Fund fundraiser is running now!
www.gofundme.com/f/april-care...
All of our currently available dogs on PetFinder:
www.petfinder.com/search/pets...
Website ---- www.fostertales.org
Instagram @fostertalesrescue ---- / fostertalesrescue

[@fostertalesrescue]

Like the work we do? We are currently running a fundraiser to cover essential costs for the month of April and we could use your support. We believe in the power of crowdfunding where many people give small amounts to make positive change. Check it out here: gofund.me/2a08260d

[@chantaljansenvanvuuren3054]

Absolutely thank you for saving this beautiful amazing dog thank ❤❤❤❤❤

[@2.0505]

The owners need to be publicly shamed for what they had done.

[@bevanbuckwheatshea5520]

What shocking previous owners. Shame on you for almost causing this gorgeous dogs death.

[@chantaljansenvanvuuren3054]

Absolutely what a shock shame on you for lies almost causing this beautiful amazing dog to almost been put down ❤️🐾🙏

[@jackiea8394]

Another beautiful dog saved from devious owners' lies. I adopted a dog accused of growling at children but as the shelter staff said, what were they doing to make him growl? Turned out he's a softy! It's obvious Henry hasn't an aggressive bone in his body but was mistreated so thank goodness staff saw it and called you. What you manage to do for these abandoned dogs is amazing and the final few minutes of your video are heartwarming. Henry has a perfect forever home! ♥

[@laurat1129]

Poor Henry. If only that "family" had just surrendered him; instead, they had to sentence him to death. It seems like they were cruel to him b/c he's too nice, and maybe they should've been arrested for actually admitting to "kicking" him! (*sigh*) Thanks to Kern Co. for reaching out and you for giving him a chance, Lord knows they and you have heard and seen it all. Henry looked so happy at home w/your shepherd and other dogs, but you prepared him well. And now Life's a Beach.💕🐾🐑☀️🏖️☮️

[@dcwatashi]

Yes, that Family should’ve been reported for abuse

[@gracegeltmacher9878]

THOSE PEOPLE THE PREVIOUS OWNERS WERE NOTHING BUT LIARS

[@jacquelinelee1374]

Thanks so much for rescuing Henry and found him a forever home which he definitely deserves❤❤❤❤

[@fostertalesrescue]

We agree!

[@Francis-xl2gu]

WHAT did his owners do to him??? He's terrified

[@Eden639]

Thanks for helping him. He was probably abused by the liar family he had.

[@judylee3589]

What a beautiful story. He's now living his life to the fullest, because of you and your team!

[@dcwatashi]

Well, he’s not really living his life to the fullest because she adopted him out to a family that doesn’t have any other dogs and that’s what this dog enjoyed the most. Most of the video was about how much he played with other dogs how he got along with so many other dogs he would play for hours with other dogs and now he is in a family with no other dogs. Very sad

[@ginaverdi6101]

Henry is just a big lovable lab mix❤The owners lied to you! They had no time for Henry 😢

[@helenatapper7779]

Thank you so much Foster Tails Rescue for saving sweet Henry! 🐕🙏❤Also, many thanks to the kind family that has adopted him. 🐶🙏❤

[@daana3879]

Thank you all for Saving Beautiful Henry. Nz

[@chantaljansenvanvuuren3054]

Thank you for who ever the incredible person is who stop Henry for being put down thank you GOD BLESS you always ❤🙏🐾

[@kristinetrott5087]

With his dewclaws, blond color spot, broad head and sweet nature tells me he is a Great Pyrenees or Pyrenees mix. They are sweet dogs.

[@teresagranza1598]

They had to kick and punch him to defend themselves? Nonsense. Thank you for saving him. He deserves the good life.

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

Well story like that makes it easy for the feds to come and remove the dog

[@vernonwood1311]

If the owners had to punch and kick him then they need to be charged with animal cruelty.

[@joanies6778]

What a beautiful, gentle spirit! 😍

[@ryanfraser167]

Lovely pup ❤️❤️ being misunderstood almost cost him his life thanks for saving him

[@stacyc5657]

They were probably cruel to him, poor baby.

[@user-sw7nu3qf8z]

The former owners just wanted an excuse to abuse and abandon him

[@jpjp455]

Omg… I cried hearing about Henry’s story 😢😢😢!!! He is such a gentle, sweet and beautiful soul!!! The moment I saw him I love him right away and wish I could have him ❤❤❤❤❤!! So so grateful that you saved this angel and extremely happy seeing him with his loving family !!! You deserve the world Sweet Henry !!! ❤❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏

[@energyfromyourwing]

Beautiful story! So glad for Henry and all his rescuers!

[@emmajohn1308]

He is surely a lab or lab mix? Not a breed I would expect to be "vicious"? I hugely suspect that the owner's claims aren't true here...UNLESS they went hurting him. If they did that, any dog would be likely to growl/possibly show other signs of aggression - just as people would! Didn't they say that they had to "punch him to stop him biting"? Well, punching is abuse in itself and WHY was he reacting that way if their claim is true? He seems very docile to me... P.S. That footage of him with that puppy made me smile. Thank you for what you do.

[@jennifercaragianakos3075]

I have personally seen dogs who have been abused and mistreated act “aggressively” They growl or snap since they are anticipating a “kick or punch” as was mentioned by the shelter worker. Break my heart how cruel people can be to their pets.

[@marysimon]

Thanks to everyone who worked to save this sweet dog!

[@theresaoneal1607]

Thank you for saving this beautiful boy❤ As hard as it was for you, you did what was best for Henry. That's true love.

[@bevanbuckwheatshea5520]

Dont get a dog unless you can look after them for their whole life.

[@fostertalesrescue]

Right?

[@beatricerigaud8942]

Thank you a million times for saving Henry and dogs 😊👏👍❤

[@Kim-tl8fc]

So happy for Henry ❤️ thank you to everyone involved! 🙏🏽

[@rosebalbada4198]

Henry idls such a good,kindhearted,amazing dog..hope and pray he live his life to the fullest with his new loving family🙏🐕💞..thank you for saving him..God bless🙏👍

[@MariaGarcia-tb7xx]

Thank you for saving him your an angel

[@sirmovielover]

I'm so happy that you're there for dogs. Such a beautiful story 🥰

[@texasgal3903]

He looks like a Great Pyrenees, they are always gentle dogs, I've never known one to be aggressive, all the ones I've known have always been so sweet! Thank you for rescuing him, and that other person at the shelter that stopped him from being euthanized.

[@pilgrimsspiritualvoyage6252]

Way too small to be a great Pyrenees. That breed are almost as tall as a great dane with a lot more girth. I unfortunately can't think of the breed name, not an akabosh, or caucasion shepherd(still too small). But definitely within this same class of livestock guard breeds. Or even possibly a lab mix of some sort.

[@fostertalesrescue]

We have had great luck with all the Great Pyrenees we’ve placed from the shelter. All very loving and gentle dogs with people. Not always with other dogs, sometimes they may need to be ‘only dogs’ but this is true of any breed or mix.

[@texasgal3903]

@@pilgrimsspiritualvoyage6252 there are smaller great Pyrenees, I've known some that are as big as that one.

[@susanwilliams70]

Love this story! So glad Henry found a home.

[@xoxirishkaxox]

Crying happy tears at the ending 😭😭😭 so happy you saved this sweet boy ❤

[@margaretlamb2432]

Hope that family doesn't get another animal!😡

[@fostertalesrescue]

Us too.

[@DJ-tb4ni]

God Bless you all that took the time to assess Henry and see that he only was lacking love and kindness❤🙏🏽👱🏻‍♀️🐾🐾

[@user-fo4qo6iv7l]

❤❤❤another gr8 pooch saved. Beautiful bubba 💕 ❤️ 💖

[@user-xo4tt7vy7c]

God is watching you save his beautiful doggies I pray you keep loving them and finding them a forever home!!!!

[@denisewicker9111]

Thank you so very much for caring ❤❤

[@WandaDavis-ky6vc]

I love him.He is beautiful ❤️❤️

[@cristina817]

Thank you for save Henry’s life ❤🐾🙏

[@jessicarowley9631]

I just couldn't have let Henry go! I am glad you had the strength to do so. He has a boy to grow up with, and the beach for walks! What a wonderful boy Henry is. I wish him a long and happy life with his family.

[@Judith-hk7if]

Oh my God - I am crying.... how can any owner lie in such a murdering way?!?😱 I/we just thank you soooo much for rescuing poor Henry!! Especially to this attentive carer at the resue center: Whoever you are - GOD WILL BLESS YOU for having saved this precious 4-legged soul!! ❤

[@TIREDOFEVIL]

Thank you and all that saved Henrey, but my question is, did anyone ever check with the family that said he was agressive, seems to me that there is more to the story.

[@fostertalesrescue]

Hi, Courtney here. There really isn’t more to the story. I spoke to the people who dealt directly with his original family. What they did was mean, stupid, and wrong.

[@gladysanderson1351]

What a beautiful gentle soul! We had a dog that looked much like Henry. Someone shot her in the jaw and left her for dead in the woods. When finding out who had the dog, the person said she was chasing deer. This person was supposed to be dog sitting, my guess he didn’t want to deal with a dog. Princess arrived thin and with little fur. We figured she heard our children playing in the yard and dragged herself to our home. She was the sweetest, gentlest dog. Never chased deer, loved and played with the kids. We had her the rest of her life, until she passed of old age. BTW, when her coat grew out, it was thick white with some tan. She was always afraid of gun shots and lightning. Her jaw healed, but had an area that would fill with fluid at times. So there are many stories behind people who decide a dog is not their cup of tea at the moment. Thank you for saving Henry. He is one beautiful, sweet dog!

[@fostertalesrescue]

There is no time for that. The animal control officers will sometimes bring up to 50 dogs in a single day. Our nonprofit is designed to provide assistance to the shelter system by building a solid network of foster care homes, pulling adoptable dogs who have not been adopted by locals, and focusing on placing those dogs in the right homes. We are there to fix problems like this.

[@alisonj9533]

It almost sounds like you are suggesting the owners need another chance to explain their cruel unfathomable behaviour! It's poor Henry needing a second chance from what he has endured this rescue saved an innocent from criminal neglect, I do not understand your point at all, was there a point!!!

[@TIREDOFEVIL]

@@fostertalesrescue Thank you for the response, so how do we prevent these evil fokes getting another companion to abuse?

[@olgasais6984]

His a beautiful boy

[@Doll676]

His color is just so beautiful fresh looking

[@Ida-fz3ir]

I had nearly the same dog: Seemingly it's an ->Owtscharka (?), he is listed...an east european herding dog... very sensible- nervous about his arounding, may be phobic, very undependent, will say difficult to educate, ...and really specialized on herding. People, who want such a dog, need space and work for him. I wish Henry all the best!

[@Honeybee1975..]

So happy for Henry!

[@DebbieRobertson-uy5qn]

Bless you

[@user-hm3oq1lg6d]

Poor Henry its awful❤❤❤

[@Wisepati]

People will lie because of pride. They want to feel justified in their decision and so they will rationalize it with lies. People that are immature will do this and I'm sure I had that tendency when I was young and stupid. We need to support people in maturing and taking responsibility.

[@user-uh2vx8df8z]

Thank you for saving Henry and giving him a second chance of life and the best life and love hugs kisses from you and Henry and forever home now and I know how you feel about this now and toward the end I was getting the tears in my eyes and I did it with the cat's I took off the street and I gave them a second chance of life and I keep some of the cat's and I lost some of them in my Care even and I told them if it doesn't work out they can bring them back to me and not put them in the shelter and don't throw them away like garbage and please don't give them to anyone else ok and if it wasn't for God being there and for us to save them God love hugs kisses from here to there and the same way ok

[@jibberjabber8870]

I am now the human of a dog who was deliberately cast out by his former humans. I realized this because all his whiskers were all cut short. Based on what I could pick up from him psychically was, this dog was played with by a young girl who rough handled him. Out of instinct this dog bit the girl. The family of the girl beat up the dog badly before casting him out. My dog still has an aversion to young females up to now. But our loving treatment to the dog eventually changed the dog's tendency to bite. Also, through healing massage I healed the dog's injuries from the beatings he experienced.🙄

[@olgasais6984]

His very handsome

[@christineweaver3090]

How old is he? Looks like many years and his original family just up and said one day "he needs to be put down"? I think the only bad thing he had done to that "family" is that they didnt give him up sooner.looks like he found his little boy ❤

[@grietjenieuwkoop8234]

It is because of the operation his ' owners ' dumped him with that terrible reason , just because of the costs 😮

[@tevssn]

Thank God for the shelter staff and for you fostering him. Im sorry but his previous owners are just pathetic. Ok, it’s one thing to give up a dog but to give the dog up while promoting he be put to sleep just to cover up your embarrassment for giving him up BY TELLING A LIE that ensures he gets euthanized is beyond evil, it’s sick and conniving!!! These people should not be allowed to ever own animals! Glad their plan backfired and he now has a wonderful forever home!!❤

[@fostertalesrescue]

Yeah Henry sure had the last laugh!

[@jerrycroner9221]

🙏🏻❤️🐾

[@Nothingreturned]

That dog is placid

[@lindadejonge]

Yeah, indeed....Henry is aggressive! Absolute BS.... he's a big cuddle bear! His "family" probably didn't know dogs and how to acclimatise the animal to the situation! I think people should be "vetted" by experts, before they adopt dogs.

[@Simone-ck1ul]

❤😊

[@marygarrett9724]

I would have to call them and let them know a couple of things, none of which they would have liked.

[@carinwiseman4309]

He clearly didn't need to be kicked or hit.

[@Lionforaday]

I doubt this dog has even growled in his life. His owners were too embarrassed to admit they just didn't want him anymore. Mayve he was "too big" or shed too much or maybe the vet told them he needed the surgery for his eye and they wanted to buy something else. So instead? They blamed it on him. What a shameful, shameful thing to do, to say that a kind dog is mean. People should be accountable for theit actions AND their words - especially when they can have such dire consequences.

[@catherinetaylor4348]

Thank you Jesus🙏

[@Wisepati]

No thank a rescuer. And thank the staff member. I have yet to see any supernatural being walk into a shelter and save a dog.

[@Doll676]

Some peoples r just scared of dogs and cat some people still have in their head r what some of the older peoples use to tell u anything with teeth’s will bite

[@debilindsey3967]

Where does Henry live. I am in new england

[@arleneclawson1407]

Henry looks like a Lab and it's just not in their DNA to be aggressive! Active yes, constantly hungry and food motivated definitely! Mean NEVER!

[@dcwatashi]

Someone else said great Pyrenees, which actually that makes sense

[@pilgrimsspiritualvoyage6252]

​@dcwatashi Way too small to be a great Pyrenees. Those dogs are just slightly shorter than great Danes and beefier. I believe it's still in the same category of a livestock guardian dog or a labrador mix.

[@pilgrimsspiritualvoyage6252]

There actually is no such thing as an aggressive gene. I hear that misinformation all the time, but once you study genetics in both humans and canines. There really is no such thing. Yes, there are certain traits and behaviors that can be genetically inherited, such as herding, guarding, running, etc... but aggression is an emotion, and emotions are not genetic traits. Behavior and emotions are 2 separate things, but they get intertwined, and that's where the misinformation comes in.

[@dcwatashi]

@@pilgrimsspiritualvoyage6252 only a DNA test would confirm 👍🏻

[@emanailu438]

Mi chiedo, chi decide di sopprimere un animale al canile ? Un dottore veterinario o un lavoratore dello shelter?

[@joanneholcombe735]

Is Henry a lab? Looks like it to me..labs are not aggressive...

[@EliezerPadron-dc9dz]

dog

[@murphyrod4839]

I don’t believe that the former family wanted Henry, I do believe that the former family was lazy, or possibly even low income and wasn’t able to afford Henry’s upkeep, and food.

[@fostertalesrescue]

We have come to the same conclusion. We don’t believe they understood that saying the things they said would trigger certain mandatory shelter policies in place to protect staff members and the public.

[@rainbowfox1934]

Sometimes people will lie in order to hurt their ex husband or wife. Ugliness.

[@dcwatashi]

I don’t think you should have adopted him out. because he was so good with other dogs he would’ve been perfect helping all the other dogs that you would be rescuing in the future. And then he gets adopted to a family who doesn’t have any other dogs yet one of his best attributes is that he loves to be with other dogs. So this makes me very sad that he’s in a home with no other dogs to play with.

[@fostertalesrescue]

Henry actually gets lots of socialization with other dogs in his current home. He plays with them at the dog beach, enjoys time with the neighbors dogs, and even goes to doggy day care. I’m glad I let him go because you know what is sadder? Thinking about all the other dogs at the shelter who don’t have a chance if I lose a spot by keeping a dog.

[@dcwatashi]

@@fostertalesrescue thank you for responding. The number one thing that you mentioned all through your video is how much this dog loved playing with other dogs. Having an hour or so on the beach with a dog isn’t the same as playing with them 24/7 I hope the mother is a stay at home mother so he’s not alone while everybody’s at work and school versus in your house. He had company all the time. You really should’ve kept this dog because he would be an asset to your rescue as he could help acclimate the new dogs that you bring in. Just saying. He was definitely special.

[@fostertalesrescue]

@@dcwatashi he does not spend his life alone. They actually work from home. I rescue dogs full time. I don’t get to go on trips or do much special for my dogs because I’m always maxed out. I think it would have been unfair to keep Henry cooped up in my house. I really think that this family is giving him a better life than I ever could ❤️

[@dcwatashi]

@@fostertalesrescue well that is great information to know. I think a lot of us would appreciate having those little extra details. Somehow someway you need to take a vacation It won’t help if you get burned out