Mikita was living as a stray on a reservation in South Dakota when a rescuer from Lightshine Canine spotted her. The young dog’s skin was raw and red, and she was so hungry she could barely move.
So much of Mikita’s fur was missing that her rescuer couldn’t tell what kind of dog she was.
A foster for Happy Tails Rescue took in Mikita and began treating her mange. Soon, tufts of gray and white fur began to cover the pup’s body — and though she was far from fluffy, her foster mom realized that the little dog was a husky.
Jessi Sova was looking for a friend for her rescue husky when she came across Mikita’s story on Facebook. She knew immediately that she had to meet her.
“[I] got my application in right away to be an approved adopter and scheduled a meeting,” Sova told The Dodo. “She was so tiny and just the sweetest little thing. My son had come with me to meet her, and we both fell in love.”
But even though Mikita had found a loving home and her fur was growing back, she still had one more challenge to overcome.
Sova realized that something was wrong with Mikita’s back, making playing and sleeping painful for her.
“It was kind of like having a baby in the house,” Sova said. “She’d wake me several times a night, and I had to decipher what she needed (if anything). One night, I woke to her screaming, and she couldn’t get her back legs under herself to stand. My friend took us both to the emergency vet.”
After two days of tests, Mikita was diagnosed with an infection of the vertebrae called discospondylitis, and started taking antibiotics.
From that point on, nothing could stop Mikita from becoming the happy, fun-loving dog she was always meant to be.
And her fur is still growing back with a vengeance.
“[Going to] the emergency vet was really her turning point,” Sova said. “Her fur started growing and she was able to start playing more.”
“It took a long time to build up her strength and stamina, and her back doesn’t bend very much, but she does great,” she added. “I swear her fur keeps getting longer and longer. I don’t think we’ve maxed out on length yet.”
“I can’t imagine life right now without her,” Sova said. “She’s so silly and interesting … Watching her heal and grow, I’m not sure I have the words for how it feels. It’s bittersweet at times because I think about her condition when she [was rescued], but I also think about how lucky I am to have such a sweet baby.”
