One day Robin Barfoot of BSCA rescue called to say there was a male Belgian in a shelter in Valparaiso, Indiana.  The dog had already been identified as a Belgian by a BSCA member and plans had been made for the dog to be adopted by the club and fostered by a man who lived nearby.  However, this man had become ill and was hospitalized, so the dog needed to be picked up ASAP.  I agreed and made arrangements to adopt the dog on the day he had been scheduled to be euthanized.  Upon arrival, I was led to a small kennel run and saw what looked like an older Belgian Sheepdog puppy.  He leapt up to see who was visiting, then stood on his hind legs to give me kisses.  Though small, he certainly appeared to be a Belgian.  One of his ears was flopped over, giving him an adorable expression. 

"Henry" was quite willing to go for a ride, though he did not enjoy the idea of being crated on the road.  At his visit to the veterinarian later that day, Henry behaved like an angel, greeting everyone with kisses.  He was pretty dirty and smelly, but after a bath his coat shone and he appeared to feel much better, too.  He adored playing with my dogs and thoroughly enjoyed trying to bury himself in the mountains of snow left by the storm we had received a week before.

Henry's heartworm test turned out positive.  This meant he had to undergo 2 shots of immiticide directly into his back muscle 24 hours apart.  The immiticide itself is not very dangerous, but the effects of the dying heartworms breaking off and travelling from the right ventricle to the lungs in the bloodstream causes small emboli.  Due to this, Henry had to be placed in a different foster home where he would be kept quiet so that a severe blockage would not occur, leading to his death. 

Enter Brad Howard, a friend of ours who lived alone with his bird, Charlie.  We, and Henry, owe a great deal of thanks to Brad for providing for Henry's needs for 5 weeks while he recovered from the initial treatment.  At Henry's 4 week checkup he was given oral Ivermectin which must have tasted horrible from the look on his face!  Henry kissed the vet afterwards though, as if he knew she wouldn't have given it to him if it weren't for his own good.  She gave Henry a good report, stating his lungs sounded clear and his heart sounded strong.

Henry's life changed once more on March 8, 1999 when he went to live with Doug & Eileen of Woodburn, Indiana, and their children.  Doug is a local police officer who has a K-9 partner, Hondo, but the family wanted a dog of their own so they are going to continue to foster Henry until he can be neutered in about August 1999.  At last report, Henry & Hondo are great pals, and Henry is finally enjoying a family!