Henry the Adventure-Pom!

When we gather around the water cooler here at Berkeley Humane, we’re not gossiping about the latest in celebrity news or who spilled coffee all over their keyboard. No, we’re trading adoption stories and life-after-Berkeley-Humane stories! We love to share them with you, our friends, because we know firsthand just how meaningful these tales of the beautiful human-animal bond are to us all!

Adopter Sean Dryden felt the same way. When Sean met Henry, a dazzling little Pomeranian, he fell head over heels in love. Since bringing Henry home from Berkeley Humane, Sean has seen how much joy this Pom truly brings to everyone he meets. Sean knew that Henry’s radiating happiness would benefit a much wider crowd than just those who are lucky enough to meet Henry here in the Bay Area. Following that conviction, Sean wrote a fantastic book, Adventure-Pom!, about Henry and his many exploits!

Adventure-Pom! is a lively romp where Henry (full name Captain Henry Gingersnaps the Adventure-Pom) explores beaches, parks, and trails while making new dog pals along the way. All this adventuring, though, is only part of the story—by book’s end, Captain Henry Gingersnaps and his buddies come face-to-face with the notorious Cranky Kitties! (We know: we can’t wait to hear how it ends, either!)

For every copy of Adventure-Pom! sold, Sean and co-author Jerry Seguin will donate a dollar to the animals at Berkeley Humane Society. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for this generosity!

The story of how Henry and Sean came together is so heartwarming, and we would love to share it with you. Read on for Sean’s account of their beautiful beginning together, and for the full scoop on how Adventure-Pom! came to be!

I was doing volunteer work at Oakland Animal Services back in 2009 when Henry came into the shelter. My partner and I went back and forth for a week if we should adopt him or not, a big decision at the time since we were both unemployed. I was honestly amazed that he was at the shelter for so long, even then he seemed like a wonderful dog. By the time we decided to go get him, we found he was picked up by the Berkeley Humane Society. 

Henry, mid-exploration!

 

We took Henry into our program here at Berkeley Humane, as we were able to provide him the surgery, medical, and behavioral care he needed before finding his perfect adoption match!

This turned out to be a miracle for us. [When he came to Oakland Animal Services,] Henry was emaciated, had fleas, a matted coat, needed surgery and needed to be fixed. Not to mention still being a bit traumatized (he was found roaming the streets of Oakland with a shock collar on.)

When we picked him up from you all a week later it was amazing, right down to his coat being brushed out, truly saving these two broke guys a small fortune.

I started putting together Adventure-Pom! for our friends, since so many of them have started building their families and are having babies. The book started to come together so well that we decided to sell it. Sorting through the photos for the book reminded me of the fire and van theft you all went through over the last couple of years. I know how much work you do to support other local shelters, and needing that van for picking up animals. If we were going to put the book up for sale, it just seemed right to make a donation to the shelter from the book as well. 

Oh no! It's one of the 'Cranky Kitties' from Adventure-Pom! 

I am very excited that we have been able to get Adventure-Pom! on iBookstore, Kindle and in print! After starting the book, Jerry and I started thinking of so many other projects we could do as well, so we started our very own publishing company. Jerry has his first gallery show opening at the beginning of the year, so we will be doing a book for his art to coincide with the opening (with a donation to a local artist charity.) We will also be working on a sequel to Adventure-Pom!, and have plans on another donation for the ASPCA or a similar organization.

The whole process of writing the book and setting up a publishing company has been a learning experience for us. I am a police and fire dispatcher for San Francisco, which can become stressful at times. Having this playful and creative outlet has become a wonderful distraction for me.

Your shelter has done so much for my family and many others as well.

--Sean Dryden 

We’re a little teary thinking about how this sweet gesture Sean set out to do for his friends turned into a bona fide book, a publishing company, and the start of a bright new chapter in the shared life of Henry and his adopters. Thank you, Sean, Jerry, and Henry for letting us all take a peek into your beautiful, enchanting world, and for making Henry a part of your loving family. 

Adventure-Pom! is available for order on Amazon.com, and downloadable for Kindle and iBookstore. Captain Henry Gingersnaps’ stories continue to unfold on the Adventure-Pom! Facebook page—there are tons of great snapshots of Henry enjoying life that we highly recommend checking out!