Mishka

Magnificent Mishka

Our magnificent Mishka has found her forever home.

Mishka was spared from death row at a Quebec shelter by our Great Pyrenees Rescue Team. After spending a few months in foster care, Mishka was adopted by a family with other dogs for her to play with.

Indeed, a few shots and some vitamins and this dog who was going to be put down for being too old was counter surfing (non-stop!) and climbing 5 foot fences to get back to her new people.

Mishka is a lovely, sweet old girl with years of life to share with her new family. Our heartfelt thanks to them for giving this girl what every dog deserves: love and comfort.

Our thanks to her adopting family for providing her a loving home.

This was her story.

Our Great Pyrenees Rescue Mishka (Russian for bear), is a 10 year old Great Pyr who was dropped of at a shelter to be put down because she was having trouble getting around - without having seen a vet for 3 years. On the day she was to have died, instead she was getting a check up, which reveals she has an old partial rupture of a ligament.

A few cartaphen shots and vitamins are all she needs. Her teeth, heart, level of motion in her joints, hearing, etc. are all good; this sweet girl has years left.

We are unsure if she has been spayed. This Great Pyrenees rescue is now up to date with her rabies vaccination. At 97 pounds, she is a too chubby for her height. Some slow walks will help with that, and the shots will ensure she can do just that. Her sight is a bit diminished, so she walks into things a bit, but she is smart and alert; its just eyes, not dementia.

Mishka is house-trained but you have to watch as she stands at the door quietly, but does not make noise. She is fine for a working family/person as she can "hold it" all day or night without a problem.

She is excellent in a car; she has gone on 7 hour visits with her new foster family without a problem. Give this Great Pyrenees rescue lots of room to lay down, and she just sleeps. Mishka would be great for someone with a RV!

Mishka drools quite a lot with stress but she is quiet and rarely barks. She actually plays fetch with herself with toys and treats. She lays at her foster mom's feet, found the good dirt spot in the yard, wiggles for treats and is there smiling when her foster mom comes in the door.

She is not destructive, doesn't eat things (other than stolen food), or scratch at doors. She probably will eventually lay on furniture, if allowed, as she has eyed it several times, but has not tried yet. Right now, she is following her new humans around, but that will likely stop when she is secure. However, she is fine being left alone, although she watches at the window, and was there to await our return.

Although she did not want to go outside by herself the first day, she has now decided the yard is a lovely place to hang out, quietly, all by herself, although she will come to the back door to check we are still inside before waddling off to settle down with a a happy sigh.

Mishka does have some bad habits: she pulls on her leash and is very strong! She also jumps on counters and tables looking for food and counter surfs. However, she is strongly motivated by both food and affection. Even a few days of firm "no/non" and that has slowed down. She flinches if a hand moves over her head, so she might have been abused; she does not know hand signals, so please avoid waving around her head.

This Great Pyrenees rescue may be used to Polish and/or Russian as well as French, but she is doing fine with English commands, or a finger poke to sit.

In 15 days she was surrendered to a pound, moved 4 hours into a kennel, moved the next day to a foster home, gone to a cottage, gone to a party 7 hrs away and then back to the foster home: all with a gentle acceptance and sense of trust. She was a bit quieter at first, but has become to more confident by the hour. She did slip on the stairs after climbing, running, digging and investigating her new foster home. A home with fewer stairs would be ideal for Mishka.

Mishka appears to be interested and friendly with dogs, and may have lived with smaller dogs as she is particularly attentive to them. She does not submit traditionally to dominant dogs (she might not know how to) and cowers a bit, so a home with fewer alpha dogs would be best. She is very good with cats. She gets excited when she hears little children, so she might be used to them. She is unconcerned and submissive to bathing, grooming, being fallen on (well, we were carrying her up the stairs and she was HEAVY) .... generally, a big softy. She would do well in a home with or without another dog. She just wants to spend the next few years being loved and loving back.

Can you give our Great Pyrenees rescue Mishka a permanent or foster home? Mishka is ready to give her love to you. If you want to share your life with a mature Great Pyrenees Rescue please contact us using the Contact information at the bottom of this page.