Deaf Senior Dog Misses Fire Evacuation And Ends Up All Alone Inside LA Shelter
When wildfires swept across Los Angeles, lives were upended in an instant. People had to leave their homes behind and race to escape the encroaching flames.
But it wasn’t just humans in danger. Countless animals were caught in the chaos, unsure of what was happening or where to go.
One shelter got a sudden warning: the fire was getting dangerously close, and they had just thirty minutes to evacuate sixty dogs.
In the middle of all that commotion sat Henree, an older deaf dog.
Unlike the other dogs who barked and whined at the sudden activity, Henree remained completely still, probably wondering why his nap had been interrupted.
He couldn’t hear the noise, didn’t sense the urgency, and in the rush to get all the other dogs out safely, Henree was overlooked.
When the staff realized what had happened, their hearts sank. Henree had been left behind, alone, with the fire still a threat.
Desperate for help, they immediately contacted the local rescue group Starts With One Today. The team responded quickly, arriving early the next morning to check on him.
When rescuers entered the shelter, they found Henree standing at his kennel door, finally barking.
Confused, scared, and exhausted, he had spent the night alone, and the smoke had affected him.
He was rushed to a vet for treatment, where they addressed smoke inhalation and also treated him for Giardia, an intestinal parasite.
Henree stayed at the hospital for some time, where he got the rest, medicine, and love he desperately needed.
The animal fundraising platform CUDDLY explained on Facebook:
“Henree suffered severe smoke inhalation putting immense stress on his lungs. He was also dealing with a nasty case of Giardia, an intestinal parasite. Due to his age, he was healing slowly, but given all he’d been through, he was in excellent spirits.”
Slowly but surely, he started bouncing back, ready to embrace his second chance at life. That’s when Dillon and Olivia learned about Henree.
They signed up to foster him, but Henree’s charm worked fast. Cuddly shared:
“It was no shock that his foster parents immediately fell head-over-heels in love with him! It didn’t take long for them to be unable to imagine their lives without him, so they decided to make things permanent.”
And that’s how, from the ashes of that terrible fire came something beautiful: Henree’s chance at a new beginning, safe and loved in his forever home.
Today, Henree’s past is just a memory. He now enjoys lazy days at his dad’s shop, receiving lots of love from visitors, taking little walks, and snoozing in all his favorite comfy spots.
For a dog who once slept through a wildfire and was left behind, Henree now lives his best life.
