Reader Spotlight: Henry the dog goes from throwaway to center stage

During that time, I went out to Henry's foster home two or three days each week to work with him on clicker training.

Henry had never lived in a house until he moved in with us. It was important that he understand basic things like "leave it," "sit," and "down." He's a quick study, and soon learned all of those things plus "touch" and "bedtime" (to go into his crate).

That was about five years ago.

Since then, Henry has blossomed. He was a nervous Nellie when we adopted him, and now he's pretty happy-go-lucky. He absolutely adores greeting new dogs at our house - we have regular play dates with three rescue dogs who live up the street.

So far he hasn't learned to accept the groundhog, the deer, or the rabbits who "invade" his yard. For some reason, he grew to accept squirrels and birds, but nothing else.

Henry has gone from stray dog to pound pup to rescue pooch, to, finally, the most spoiled boy on the block - he sleeps with his own pillow on the couch! He is lucky to be with a couple so willing to give him the world - and we're so grateful to have him in our lives. We often laugh because we can't remember what our lives were like "pre-Henry."