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Retiring after a dogged career helping others

March 13, 2024

Henry George Campuzano Booth’s golden hair rustled gently in the morning breeze. It was as soft and inviting to the touch as a newborn baby’s.

Not bad for a guy retiring.

After nine years of service answering 885 crisis calls, including earthquakes, fires, floods and mass shootings, Henry, an 11-year-old, 98-pound golden retriever, is hanging up his leash as a certified therapy dog.

On Tuesday, dozens of well-wishers surprised Henry and owner Steve Booth with a retirement party outside UCI Medical Center in Orange. The gentle dog with the breed’s trademark smile was there to roam the halls and provide positive energy for the last time.

UCI Medical Center Critical Care Nurses, Annie Kim, clockwise from bottom, Tiffany Baleigh and Lan Keschrumrus, say goodbye to Henry, a certified therapy dog on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. The dog is retiring. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Henry sniffs his apple and oat retirement cake outside UCI Medical Center in Orange on March 12, 2024 during a retirement party. The dog, owned by Steve Booth, has been a certified therapy dog at the hospital. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Steve Booth and his certified therapy dog, Henry, leave UCI Medical Center in Orange for the last time on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 after the dog’s retirement party. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Therapy dog Henry is the center of attention, getting his photo taken along with hugs during his retirement party at UCI Medical Center in Orange on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Henry checks out his retirement gifts with owner Steve Booth outside UCI Medical Center in Orange on March 12, 2024. The dog worked as a certified therapy dog at the hospital. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Steve Booth got a tattoo of Henry last year for his birthday. Henry, a certified therapy dog, had a surprise retirement party at UCI Medical Center in Orange on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Atlas attends the retirement party for therapy dog Henry at UCI Medical Center in Orange on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Atlas belongs to Nisreen Batarseh, a nurse there. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Max, a bomb-detection and human-tracking dog, attends therapy dog Henry’s retirement party at UCI Medical Center in Orange on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Max works at the center with officer Corey Chavez. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

UCI Medical Center nurse Sheela Patel feeds Henry some of his retirement cake as owner Steve Booth looks on. The dog retired as a therapy dog from UCI Medical Center on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 and was given a party. Patel joked that she was definatly going to wash her hands before seeing patients. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Henry gives Steve Booth his “paw-tographs,” a personalized baseball card he slaps with his paw, during the therapy dog’s surprise retirement party at UCI Medical Center in Orange on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Henry checks out his retirement giftss with owner Steve Booth outside UCI Medical Center in Orange on March 12, 2024. The dog worked as a certified therapy dog at the hospital. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Certified therapy dog, Henry, is greeted by well-wishers outside UCI Medical Center during his retirement party on March 12, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Booth, 68, retired as a sergeant from the OC Sheriff’s Department in 2015. He knows now is Henry’s time to bow out. The dog’s hips are old and in need of resting, Booth said. Over the years he’s provided therapy support at several local hospitals, as well as with crisis response teams after big emergencies.

“He absorbs all the positive and all the negative” Booth said of Henry. “It takes a toll.”

Booth’s wife, Janet, is also dealing with Parkinson’s disease and needs the team home.

Henry’s career includes about 4,000 hours of volunteering – sometimes 10-hour days, five days a week during disasters – providing comfort for people experiencing the darkest hours of life.

Henry has interacted with more than 100,000 people, by Booth’s estimate.

Working traumatic events has also provided Booth perspective on the frailties of life, he said.

In 2018, as part of the HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response team, Booth and Henry were dispatched to the deadliest fire in California history. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and devoured 153,336 acres, including more than 18,000 structures.

There, in Northern California, a man in his early 30s wearing a baseball cap sat down next to Henry and unloaded, not even acknowledging Booth. He told the dog he had managed to save his pregnant wife, but lost his house, truck and dog to the fire, Booth said.

The man finally looked at Booth when he was done and said, “Thanks, I needed that.”

Tuesday, dozens of well-wishers formed a rope line and Henry seemed to know he was the guest of honor. Politely spending time with each person before he moved on, Henry was indeed the center of attention. He would take a bow on command and give “paw-tographs,” a personalized baseball card he slapped with his paw before Booth handed it to the smiling recipient.

“Happy Retirement K-9 Henry!” read an apple-and-oat cake with peanut frosting and bacon bits.

Wally Wong observed quietly from a metal bench.

Henry and Booth had visited his wife, Sandy Chang, in the hospital last year before she died, Wong said. “Some sun shined in a fairly dreary moment. It lit her up.”

He tracked the pair down after they were featured on the Jumbotron at a Ducks game last week during UCI Health and Wellness night.

“I wanted some closure,” Wong said of his visit to the party.

Booth said Henry has been a blessing. “I’ve been lucky enough to share him with everyone.”

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Retiring after a dogged career helping others

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