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Small paws meet hands
How one dog became more than a pet
By Melanie Dziengo
Once in a while, when people look to adopt an animal, it turns out to be the opposite — the animal adopts the human. For Lamara Mikheidze, and her boyfriend, their luck turned out that way when a Chihuahua named Lucky came into their lives.
The rescue works its magic. Compassionate Animal Adoption Rescue posted Lucky’s picture on their Facebook page. The dog, then 2 lbs., was found dumped in a parking lot in the cold. When no one stepped up to foster the Chihuahua, Mikheidze immediately jumped at the chance, saying: “how could I possibly say no to that face? Firstly, he was a Chihuahua, secondly a tiny one at that, and finally he was utterly adorable. I was smitten.”
The preparations begin. Owning a Chihuahua was not unfamiliar to Mikheidze because she has another, named Sparky, of the same breed. Knowing that the dogs are notorious for being yippy and loud, she’s aware that is not always the case because it depends on how Chihuahuas are raised. When they were welcoming Lucky into their home, all it took was a soft bed, toys, and blankets.
Lucky’s luck improves. When he first arrived at Mikheidze’s, Lucky was emaciated. Due to being abandoned in the cold, “he had lost quite a bit of his fur. His ears were frostbitten; they felt like cardboard and were blackened. He had a grade 2-heart murmur. His mouth was full of rotten teeth, and boy did it smell awful,” she says. After a couple of vet appointments, Lucky’s health improved, though it was at the cost of losing nearly all of his teeth.
Important discoveries. After Lucky was brought home from the vet, Mikheidze and her boyfriend learned that the dog was still skittish, and didn’t like to be picked up. He would sit with his tail tucked in, and thrashing around if he was picked up. Toys and treats were foreign concepts to the animal as well. “We noticed that he was always ducking [when] we were walking over to him while holding anything; we figured out that this dog was hit and dropped many times because of his reactions to us. He was very badly treated; he was abused” Mikheidze says.
Happy and healthy. After being with Mikheidze and her boyfriend for a year, Lucky’s demeanour has changed — for the better. He has gained weight, his heart murmur is gone, he has learned to love dog toys, and enjoys chasing his ‘brother’ around. Lucky can also be considered to be happy-go-lucky because “[Lucky] loves to dance, and twirl. He does lots of cartwheels when he is excited, and he eats with gusto. The little guy loves food,” she says. Overall, he is a happy, and healthy pup.
