Eleven-year-old Tatum Henderson is a young animal lover. So, when he saw a malnourished dog in the Kentucky Humane Society parking lot, it was just in his nature to want to help. The next thing they knew, the dog that they had rescued has turned into a celebrity.
Source: Ethan Almighty Facebook
Tatum and his parents did not expect the rescue story to go viral. But it was also a good thing – all the attention about Tatum’s rescue efforts had helped Kentucky reconsider its animal rights and welfare laws.
A day to give
It all started as an ordinary day for Tatum and his parents. Tatum had asked his parents to drive him to the Kentucky Humane Society, a local animal shelter. Tatum wanted to donate all his old stuffed toys to the animals that were housed there. This way, they would have something to play with while waiting for someone to adopt them.
Source: Pixabay
After leaving their donation, Tatum and his parents started to walk back to their car when Tatum noticed something in the parking lot. It looked like a fur coat but as Tatum looked closely, he saw that it was a dog and he looked like he was in a very bad shape.
A day of rescuing
The poor animal was visibly starving and looked very sick. Tatum feared that the dog was already dead. But after he noticed the dog’s chest still rising and falling, he knew that the dog was still alive. Being the animal lover that he is, Tatum refused to go into the car until they do something about the poor dog.
Source: Pixabay
What started as a day of giving turned into a day of rescuing for the young animal lover. Tatum knew that the dog was still alive but the dog was also struggling and he needed help immediately. Tatum was determined to save the dog.
Getting help
The fact that the dog was in the parking lot of the Kentucky Humane Society does not seem to be a coincidence. They suspected that the dog must have been abandoned there by its owner.
Source: Kentucky Humane Society Facebook
Tatum and his parents rushed back inside the animal shelter to tell them that a dog was struggling out in the parking lot. The staff immediately rushed outside and took the dog to their emergency care area.
Waiting for news
Tatum waited anxiously for news about the dog’s wellbeing. He has never seen a dog in such a bad state before. The dog was so thin and could not even stand up on its own. It was like looking at a live skeleton of a dog.
Source: Kentucky Humane Society Facebook
Given that the dog had a lot of issues, the animal shelter had to send the dog to a veterinary hospital. They told the Hendersons to go home and promised to call them when they have news. It took a whole day before the Hendersons received an update.
Meet Ethan
The Kentucky Humane Society decided to name the abandoned dog Ethan. Ethan was in bad shape – he was actually beyond malnourished! But thankfully, he is now stable. The shelter says Ethan is now back with them but it will take a while before Ethan would be a hundred percent better.
Source: Give It Love
The Kentucky Humane Society had been posting everything from Tatum rescuing Ethan to the day-to-day progress of Ethan’s recovery. Tatum always made it a habit about reading the shelter’s Facebook page to see how Ethan was doing.
Ethan goes viral
The rescue story of Ethan went viral. The compassion of the young boy for a struggling dog had touched a lot of hearts in the community and around the world. Everyone enjoyed the Facebook updates on how Ethan was recovering.
Source: Ethan Almighty Facebook
Ethan had immediately turned into a local celebrity. In fact, people had been sending a lot of gifts to Ethan in the shelter. People were sending in blankets, toys, letters, cards, and financial donations for Ethan’s care and recovery were pouring in from all over the world.
Ethan’s breed
The staff originally thought that the dog was 3 years old but vet examinations revealed that Ethan was just a year old when he was found. Given that he looked big for his age, the staff was curious what breed Ethan was.
Source: Ethan Almighty Facebook
A DNA test was done and it revealed that Ethan was a mix of six different breeds! The six breeds were Mastiff, Dogo Argentino, American Staffordshire terrier, bulldog, cane Corso, and Presa Canario. Among all six breeds, Ethan was 50% Presa Canario.
A sweet reunion
When Ethan started gaining weight, Tatum could not believe the huge improvement in his looks. The young animal lover wanted nothing more than to see Ethan in person again. Tatum’s grandmother called the Kentucky Humane Society first to see if it was alright for Tatum to visit Ethan.
Source: Give It Love
The shelter agreed, of course. Tatum was a major part of Ethan’s rescue after all and a reunion would be a great way for Ethan to thank Tatum and his family. A meeting was arranged for the two to be reunited. And since Tatum’s 12th birthday was coming up, the Humane Society also created a “Team Ethan” shirt for Tatum.
Finding a foster family
As of March 2021, Ethan was able to find a new home. He was taken in by one of his caregivers in the Kentucky Humane Society, Jeff Calloway. Jeff has been very dedicated to Ethan’s care and recovery. He comes in twice every night to check on Ethan and the two had developed a bond.
Source: Ethan Almighty Facebook
When Ethan was strong enough to be able to enter a home environment, Jeff immediately volunteered to foster him. Each night, Ethan would go home with Jeff and during the day, Ethan would be brought back to the Humane Society so that the medical team can track Ethan’s progress.
Making it official
It did not take long for Jeff’s family to fall in love with the famous dog too. Ethan was able to blend in well not only with Jeff’s family but also with their other dogs and cats. It did not take long for everyone to agree that Ethan should be a permanent member of their family.
Source: Give It Love
Everyone in the Humane Society was overjoyed to hear Calloway’s decision to adopt Ethan officially. They knew that Ethan would be going to a good home. Given Ethan’s popularity, the animal shelter covered Ethan’s adoption ceremony live on their Facebook page. The event was very festive with lots of treats.
Ethan gets a job
In May 2021, Busch Beer’s Dog Brew named him Ethan as the Chief Tasting Officer. His responsibilities include quality control, taste testing, and being an ambassador for the product.
Source: Ethan Almighty Facebook
Busch Beer’s dog brew is an alcohol-free bone broth, made out of pork bones, whole corn, basil celery, ginger, mint, and basil. The job as chief tasting officer pays $20,000 a year and free dog brew!
Ethan’s trauma
While things seem to be going great for Ethan, the past came back to haunt him. In July 2021, Ethan had started to suffer from seizures. Jeff and his family immediately brought him to a veterinary hospital where an MRI test was done.
Source: Ethan Almighty Facebook
It turned out that Ethan had developed brain damage from the trauma of abuse and starvation. Thankfully, with the right amount of love and medication, Ethan has been doing well. As of August 2021, the seizures are gone.
Ethan’s achievements
Ethan recently “threw” the first pitch at the Louisville Bat’s first Hops & Hounds event as the celebrity guest. The event happened on September 2021. The Hops & Hounds event allows fans to enjoy a game of baseball with their furry friends. During the event, they can sample different beers from the local breweries.
Source: Ethan Almighty Facebook
Ethan was also recognized as a compassion ambassador by the Kentucky Derby Festival. Ethan’s remarkable recovery had touched a lot of lives. Being able to recover from a tragic beginning had strengthened people’s belief in the power of love.
Ethan as a local celebrity
There is no doubt that Ethan was a local celebrity in Kentucky. Every time he goes on walks, people stop to give him pets and take pictures with him. Jeff also takes Ethan with him to work so he has been some sort of mascot for the Kentucky Humane Society. People also drop by the animal shelter in the hopes to see the celebrity dog.
Source: Ethan Almighty Facebook
Tatum may have been able to save Ethan but the condition that Ethan was in when he was rescued reminded everyone of a huge issue in Kentucky. It was an issue regarding animal welfare and rights that the Humane Society has long been fighting for.
Animal welfare in Kentucky
You see, in Kentucky, animal welfare is probably one of the last things people care about. In fact, in the Animal Protection US State Laws Ranking Report of 2020, Kentucky ranks 47 out of 50 states when it comes to animal protection laws. Kentucky State Representative Chris Freeland has heard about Ethan’s rescue story and knows that this dog is just one of many cases that are happening in the state.
Source: Give It Love
In fact, before Ethan’s story went viral, he had been pushing for a bill that would make pet owners more responsible. Representative Freeland added that most cases of animal abuse are not being reported since people often prefer to abandon these animals instead of giving them to proper authorities or animal shelters.
House Bill 57
Representative Freeland aims to make a change and move up the ranks when it comes to animal welfare. He authored House Bill 57 which aims to make animal torture of any kind from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony in Kentucky. He is hoping that Congress will pass the bill.
Source: Kentucky Humane Society Facebook
According to Representative Freeland, House Bill 57 will include things like food, water, and shelter deprivation under the definition of animal torture. Restraint, wherein a pet is confined to a finite space is also included. If this bill passes, all pet owners can now be more accountable for the conditions of their pets.
House Bill 100
Aside from House Bill 57, there is another bill being brought to the table as far as animal welfare and rights are concerned. House Bill 100 plans to create new sections in KRS Chapter 525 so that the terms in the document can be elaborated.
Source: Pixabay
House Bill 100 focuses on officer accountability wherein animal control officers and peace officers are required to serve notice of seizure of an animal. Also, House Bill 100 will prohibit the destruction of seized animals except if it is advised by a licensed veterinarian for humane reasons. If this bill passes, officers are held accountable for any animal they seize.
Senate Bill 82
Senate Bill 82 is also on the docket, waiting to be approved. Like House Bill 100, Senate Bill wants to add sections to a pre-existing document. This time, Senate Bill 82 focuses on breed restrictions when it comes to the law.
Source: Pixabay
Senate Bill 82 will enable local governments to enforce dog and welfare safety no matter what breed the dog has. If this bill passes, any kind of dog, no matter what breed they may be, should enjoy animal welfare rights and protection from the local government.
An important exposure
House Bill 57, House Bill 100, and Senate Bill 82 are all important when it comes to animal welfare and rights. All the dog lovers like Tatum and animal shelters in the state are hoping that they will be passed.
Source: Kentucky Humane Society Facebook
It is amazing to think that all these bills get to have more exposure and attention all because of the heroic act of an 11-year-old boy. Thanks to the media coverage and the popularity of Ethan’s rescue story, people are hopeful that these three bills get a good chance of passing.