Henry Herson

Many knew him because of his mom yelling out Henry Herson with a big grin on his face, waggly tail, and infectious love. Jess & Taylor had just gotten married and thought, what better time to bring on a new family member? They picked Henry out from a litter of pups. Jess specifically picked the one lil pup with a bump on his head. She knew something was extraordinary about him. We named him Henry after Derrick Henry (RTR), but he had so many other nicknames. Boop Bop was his soul name—silly, brave, and kind. Henry lived the first few years of his life on the Chattahoochee River. Water was life to him. We couldn't take him near the water unless he got to swim. He couldn't hold himself back.  He loved the dog park there, all the dog walkers he had, and especially his neighbors. Once, Jess got in a sketchy situation early in the morning with someone, and Henry turned the person's heart. Henry was a lover, not a fighter. Sometimes, we'd go to local trails, and Henry loved to flip onto his back and then not move. People would walk by us and go aw he's so cute; he must have been so tired, but no, he was just stubborn and wanted to go swimming. Henry taught us a lot of patience! We moved, and Henry was so happy because he got to live within walking distance of his cousins Waylon and Leah. He loved to play with them in the backyard and be goofballs together. He specifically loved to sit in this $30 chair we got at a garage sale and watch for his dad to come home from runs. Speaking of running, Jess tried to go on a run with Henry once, and he went out 2 miles but wouldn't go back. So eventually, she ended up ordering an Uber for the King - funny now, not so funny then. Henry also loved to go up to see his grandparents frequently. He loved going to Buppa and Nunna house so he could cannonball into their pool and drink so much water that he'd pee in the kitchen (whoops). Then, he loved to stay with Mimi and Papa John because they treated him like the best granddogs ever. He would like to hang out with Papa John while he was working. Then, once with Mimi, they went to McDonalds for breakfast and ate on the curb together. Henry got an egg, and Mimi had the bread—just two soulmates enjoying life. During hard moments, Henry brought everyone together. He always held his paw out to hold on to one another and would look deep into your soul to heal you. It was pure magic. When he was four, we decided to pack up the car and move out west. Henry would go anywhere and bring the party. He loved our first home. He loved a nearby field where he watched the kiddos play baseball and where he could bask in the sun or snow. One time, Taylor and Henry drove 17 hours to see Jess finish her half-ironman in AZ. He loved it because he loved it when his pack was all together. In Oregon, Henry thrived! He got to attend most of Taylors' races and be the Crew Chief Assistant. Henry kept Jess company and was always so proud of his dad because how in the world does one run longer than 3-4 miles? When Taylor finished his 100 miles, Henry ran with him to the finish and then went straight to the lake. Jess was helping Taylor find a chair and get some food. We totally forgot about Hen. About 10 minutes later, he showed up happy as a clam, just needing some time in the lake for himself. He always kept us laughing. We bought our first home, and Henry was thrilled, as always. He quickly picked out his favorite field and walking route that we would do. Henry had his community of friends in Bend with whom he loved to see and frolic with. He had recently joined Bend Pet Adventure and loved it so much! He would sit at the door every Tuesday crying, waiting for Sherri to come pick him up to go play in the woods with his friends. He gained a lot of confidence and always needed to see other dogs. We'd be walking in the neighborhood and then randomly be walking with another dog and their owner because he got so used to walking with a pack. In the end, Henry loved dogs, but he had always loved humans. He was our shadow and always wanted to be with us. Something Jess will always hold in her heart is their slow mornings with coffee. After he had breakfast, we sat together every morning. I didn't realize at the time how healing those moments were. He gave Jess so much peace and comfort. Henry was a wild soul and did what he wanted. If you struggled with control or patience, Henry would teach you to let go of that shit. He loved when Taylor would pick up Jess and when they would have dance parties. Henry loved more than anything when Taylor would get down on the ground and wrestle. Taylor was always the one to chase him around and ensure Henry was having fun. At the end of November, Henry started showing signs of being sick. He was going to Jess often, which usually meant he didn't feel good and wanted his mom. We found out he had cancer pretty quickly and decided to do chemo. During the last three months of his life, we made a pack with each other so that we would never leave his side. He wouldn't leave this world without us holding his paw. We learned a lot during that time together. There were lots of tears during his last months on Earth, but we also made the days count. He loved our long walks together and snuggles on the couch with ice cream. Our boy was so brave and graceful. The sickness took over him day by day, taking his spirit. Fuck cancer!! He was our everything. We are so lucky to have had our boy. He was nothing like we pictured but SO much more. He made life so incredible, and he forever changed us. Special shoutout to his Mimi, who stayed with us in his last month. She took care of him and us when we needed it the most. We love you, our boy, forever and always. RIP Henry Herson, seven years old.