MISTA has found his furrytail ending!!

StartFragmentAs you can imagine, we received an overwhelming amount of interest from people wanting to adopt this beautiful boy. John & Ann's application was a stand-out and we arranged a meet and greet. However, in the meantime, we realised that the clumsiness that we mentioned in Mista's profile actually indicated something more serious than simply puppy-gangliness. We postponed... the meet and greet while we investigated. After x-rays, a spinal tap and MRI's costing several thousand dollars, we finally had an answer. Possibly due to a birth defect or some kind of inflicted trauma as a young pup, Mista was left with a brain deformity. The good news is that the specialists do not believe that his condition is degenerative and John & Ann were still keen to meet him. The next step was to see how Mista got along with their girls - German Shepherd, Bonnie and Maltese x Shih-Tzu, Panda, a little senior citizen of 15 years old! We needn't have worried...our boy took it all in his stride and warmed to them both immediately. It was really just as well, otherwise I would have been angling to keep Mista myself! He bonded very closely with me and my family and I was a bit worried about having to break the news to him that he wasn't staying. I needn't have been concerned though. A boy like Mista loves everybody that he meets, so I know that he'll settle well with his new family.

Happy furrytail ending, Mista!

StartFragment‘At first, I was afraid. I was petrified.’ If you know the song, you know that it starts out like that, before soaring into the chorus, ‘I will survive!’ This says it all about my journey thus far. You see, I’d never before left the comfort zone of my back yard, where I lived with the rest of the pack - Mum, Dad and my littermates. To me, what was inside the house was as much of a mystery as to what was on the other side of the fence…as far as I knew, the whole universe was the confines of my yard. So when I was seized by the council along with my siblings recently through no fault of our own, I found the world to be a petrifying place. I’d never seen a leash before and when the pound staff tried to put one on me, I wet myself and thrashed around the pen in sheer, wide-eyed terror. Shaking constantly and curled up tightly into a fearful little ball, I avoided people and recoiled from their touch. I could feel myself starting to shut down to try and block out the horror of being in this unfamiliar, scary place. Now, fast-forward a little down the track and you’d never know I was the same dog. With the love of a foster family, I feel safe and supported, which has allowed me to come out of my shell and be brave enough to try new things. I’ve learned to trust people and where once, I avoided contact, I’ve now gone the other way and seem to have bulldozed the boundaries of personal space completely! If you’re sitting on the lounge, I’ll immediately identify that your lap is empty and that you need a giant puppy to fill the spot. I’m your biggest fan and my favourite place to be is wherever you are. I even like to sleep snuggled up on your bed, where I can rest my head in the crook of your knee. I’ve learned how to use the dog door and have housetrained myself, as I cleverly worked out that inside the house is where the people usually are. It’s hard to believe that I was ever an outside-only dog. Never again! Now I have an understanding of what it’s like to be part of a family and boy oh boy, I love it! I adore children, but my bouncy enthusiasm will be a bit overwhelming for real little ones. I mean no harm, I just use my happy wagging tail and the springs in my feet to show you how excited I am to see you. If truth be told, I’m a bit of a clumsy clod, still in the gangly stage and sometimes my brakes don’t work too well, so I find it hard to slow down once I’ve gained some momentum! Instrumental in my transformation into a confident, happy-go-lucky goofball have been the other dogs in my foster home, who have taught me ‘how to dog’. There will definitely need to be another dog in residence in my new home. I’d prefer a dog that is older than me who likes to wrestle and play, but will pull me into line if I’m being an annoying puppy jerk and getting too big for my boots. I haven’t met any cats in my time in foster care, but I’d be willing to give it a try, as long as my new people are patient and careful and can commit to very gradual, supervised introductions. I’ve shown no tendency towards escape artist tricks, but being an overgrown pup, I have the usual skill set of digging holes and stealing your things to claim as my own. Toys are a lot of fun and I should have a variety of things stocked up to keep my adolescent brain busy. No longer scared of the lead, walkies time is one of the highlights of my day. However, having hip dysplasia and with my bones still in the process of growing, a quick daily stroll around the block will suffice. I would benefit from such things as quality food, joint supplements and hydrotherapy to gently help build muscle to support my hips. My good looks and winning personality make up for the fact that I don’t aspire to be a sled dog or marathon runner. If you’re not much of an athlete either, we could be a good match, as long as you don’t mind me being under your feet. I’m the most handsome shadow you could ever hope to have!EndFragment