The status of Misha was
last posted on 12/17/24 by
Keep calm and woof on.
Female Dog, German Shepherd Dog
German Shepherd Dog / Mixed
Description:
LOCATION OF DOG: In foster (Lilburn, GA) NAME: Misha MALE OR FEMALE: Female AGE OR DATE OF BIRTH (best estimate): 2-3 yrs old WEIGHT (best estimate): 50 lbs (ideal weight closer to 65 lbs) HOUSE BROKEN : Yes BREED or MIX (best guess): German Shepherd SPAYED (females) OR NEUTERED (males): Yes, Spayed VACCINATED: Yes IF VACCINATED- Can you provide documentation/vet records to support their vaccine history? Yes ON HEARTWORM PREVENTION? Yes - she is HW negative ON FLEA/TICK PREVENTION? Yes GOOD WITH KIDS: Yes GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS: Yes GOOD WITH CATS: Yes; she was attacked by a cat once and her reaction was to just run away WHICH TIER IS YOUR REHOMING FEE? TIER 1 - 25 (minimum) - 100 TIER 2 - 101 - 400 TIER 3 - 401-600 (We STRONGLY encourage ALL dogs, especially in Tier 2 and 3, to be spayed or neutered prior to rehoming) 600 is the MAXIMUM allowed fee in our group My fee falls in TIER 3 ARE YOU OPEN TO A RESCUE TAKING YOUR DOG ? *NOTE- A rescue does not pay a fee : Possibly PREFERRED CONTACT METHOD & INFO: email - [email protected] OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE DOG: Misha has exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) and as a result cannot properly digest/metabolize her food on her own. She was found abandoned, tied to the train tracks in ATL in Aug 2023, and was taken in by a good samaritan. Unfortunately, her EPI was not being properly managed in her previous home due to financial constraints (which is ultimately why they had to surrender her), so she is currently severely underweight. She is now being treated with Viokase-V (no other enzymatic supplements we have tried will work for her), and in just 3 weeks of being on that treatment she has gained about 10 lbs, which is excellent, but she's still probably 15 lbs underweight. The Viokase-V supplement has to be given with each meal and has to be prepped in a very specific way - the food has to be moistened by adding a little water, then the powdered supplement has to be mixed in and allowed to "incubate" for at least 20 minutes before Misha can eat it. She has to get it every time she eats, and therefore she cannot have any treats throughout the day unless they are given within 1 hour after she has a meal with the Viokase. Misha is also on Fluoxetine (Prozac) daily to manage anxiety, but it is possible that her anxiety was a result of her being in a constant state of starvation/desperation for sustenance that she wasn't getting due to her condition, coupled with the fact that she is a young, high-energy working breed who had not been adequately exercised. Now that she is putting on weight and able to be more active, she does not present any anxious behavior. She may be able to be weaned off of the Prozac once she is at her ideal weight and in a stable permanent home. Behaviorally, Misha is incredibly smart and super sweet - she knows some basic commands (sit, stay, come, kennel) and is eager to please and would take to additional training very readily. She is good on the leash and in the car, however, she gets very excitable when encountering other dogs on walks and will bark at/pull towards them. This is because she wants to meet/play with them, and we've noticed she's not as insistent about that if she is already walking with other dogs. She is very vocal and will bark to communicate that she wants something - when she's hungry, needs to go out, wants to play, etc. She will play fetch for hours if given the opportunity, but won't drop the ball unless you have another ball in your hand already, so you need to have 2 balls for playtime. She will also bark at other dogs as a way to instigate play with them, but she is very submissive and nonreactive - when another dog gets annoyed by her barking and checks her, she drops to the ground and leaves them alone. She is also very good with cats and kids, and lived with a cat and toddler in her previous home. Misha loves to cuddle and is not go-go-go all day long - there are long stretches throughout the day when she's content to just nap or laze around - but she does get restless if she's been inactive for too long, and she wakes up quite early eager to start the day. She is housebroken for the most part, but can't hold it for extended periods of time (possibly because of her condition - food and water goes right through her) so we crate her when we go out and she does occasionally have accidents in there if we're gone too long. However, as mentioned, she does let us know when she needs to go outside. She has not shown any destructive tendencies in the home and is even gentle with her toys. Overall, she is a really great dog and will absolutely thrive in the right environment. Her ideal home is an active family/individual with a large fenced yard and at least one other dog for her to play with.
