Fresh Start

This is the story of Mickey, not Mickey Mouse or Mickey Mantel but of Mickey the Great; Great Dane that is. I don’t know much of Mickey’s life before coming to his new home but I do know that is wasn’t him who was lucky that day, it was us. We are the lucky ones.

October 6, 1010 started at Animal Clinic Inc just as any other day, but as fate would have it, ended in an extraordinary way. It was 10am and as the usual yearly vaccines and clinic duties were done something great was in the works. A regular client of the clinics’ had recently lost her beloved toy poodle, and as loneliness set in she decided to give Dr. Mickey Myers a call. “I need a companion.” She said and he promised her we would do our best to find her one. I was given the task, and took it with pride deciding to take a drive to the Humane Educational Society that afternoon to take a look not expecting to save such a courageous soul. Lindsay, a co-worker and my best friend decided to tag along during her lunch break.

The drive to the Humane Society was uneventful, we chit chatted along the way, even managed to get a little lost before pulling into a small parking lot in front of an old brick building. As we parked a woman was walking a dog from her car into the building. Lindsay and I looked at each other as we watched this poor beaten bag of bones meander across the asphalt to the front of the building. As we stepped through the doors there he was, a skeleton with sunken eyes. His head hung low and tail between his legs, it wagged slightly as we approached to hear the conversation between the woman who brought him in and the receptionist. He had been abandoned it seemed, left to wonder in search of food for several weeks. He stood quietly at the end of the leash, and when I bent down to show him some much needed affection he approached slowly unsure if I was there to help or to hurt him but when I gently stroked the side of his face stopping to rub his ear a gently thump of his tail against the front of the desk let me know he needed help. It was suggested one of two times that Lindsay and I take him with us but a Great Dane is not a Toy Poodle.

As Lindsay and I walked through rows of kennels filled with barking dogs all hoping to be adopted our thoughts went back to the big black dog at the front desk. We wished that we could save them all. We didn’t find any toy poodles slightly depressed we headed back to the clinic.

Dr. Myers probably knew he sent the wrong technicians to the Humane Society as soon as we left, and I’m sure he regretted it even more when we returned. We told him of the sad Great Dane, of his condition and that we needed to rescue him. We told him the clinic needed him as much as he needed us and that if he let us save him we would name the dog after him. Dr. Myers sent me back to get Mickey.

My heart raced as I drove back to the Humane Society, I hoped he was still there, that he had been placed in a cage and was waiting for me. Bursting through the front door I smiled at the receptionist and explained why I had come back. By that time Mickey had already been entered into the system, just giving him to me would be harder and she would need approval. I understood and agreed to wait for a manager, as I stood there I wondered if my excitement was obvious, my face felt flush and I could feel my heart beating. After explaining to the shelter director why I was there and the dog I wanted he agreed to let me take Mickey pending a confirmation from Dr. Myers. A call was made and within minutes I was being directed to drive around to the back and someone would be there to meet me with the dog. As I pulled in Mickey stood between two male volunteers his head hung and he just looked sad. It wasn’t until I opened the driver side door and stepped out that I saw a glimmer of hope in his big dark eyes. Mickey wagged his tail and made his way to the open tail gate. As I tapped my hand against the truck telling him to c’mon he lifted his massive paws one at a time propping himself up on the back of the truck, he then looked at me as if to say “That’s as far as I can go, I’ll need help from here.” and without hesitation we lifted him inside. Mickey rested quietly as we rode in silence back to the clinic, when we arrived he waited patiently as I opened the back to let him out.

Hearts broke as I walked Mickey into the clinic and stopped at the scale, 75lbs is all he weighed; just skin and bones. Our second stop was a bath to try and wash thousands of fleas off Mickey. I have been in the vet field for 10years and can’t ever recall seeing so many fleas on one animal. Mickey stood so calmly in the bath for over an hour as Dianne or groomer and I worked on him. As the water ran over him fleas fell from his fur and the water ran red. Bathing this gentle giant was gut wrenching as we ran our hands over him he felt like a skeleton with fur. Every rib was visible his spine jutted up like a shark fin hip bones protruded out abdomen sunken in. We ached for Mickey, wondering how anyone could allow such a beautiful creature to suffer the way Mickey had. Finally clean and wore out I escorted him to his kennel and without hesitation he plopped down on a pile of blankets and sighed. It had been a while since he had slept on anything but concrete and I could tell he was grateful. As Mickey rested I promised him he was safe, and that he would never have to worry about going without food, shelter, or love ever again.

Mickey was amazingly heartworm negative and treated for his flea and intestinal parasite infestations. He was served his first meal which he ate without chewing. In his first few hours at the clinic he was shown more love than he had received in a long time. Mickey had found his forever home, surrounded by many people who would love and care for him. We all considered Mickey the lucky one that day.

Ten days after his rescue Mickey has gained 20lbs. He spent the first nine days at the clinic where he was fed and walked round the clock. He was started on medications for diarrhea which was a result of being fed more than what he could scrounge up on the streets. He has adjusted well with his new surroundings and quickly figured out he has us all wrapped around his giant paws. Mickey starts his day with a short walk in the clinic yard at 7am followed by a lap around the clinic to say good morning to the staff. He knows the CSR’s have treats just for him and after a few tricks he makes his way to see Dr. Myers. He wags his tail as if to say “Thank you” waits to get his ears scratched and then heads back to his kennel where he waits for breakfast.

Mickey has also been reintroduced to “home life”. His first trip was to my house where he met my two little girls, my dachshunds, and my cats; which he chased under the bed. He spent his time exploring the back yard whenever he wanted and curling up in my favorite chair. Mickey seems to enjoy his weekends surrounded by people and freedom to do as he pleases. He is the talk of my neighborhood, the miniature horse as they call him. He brings small crowds and people are shocked to hear his story. You see Mickey isn’t like your usual “stray” he isn’t aggressive, or destructive, he is house broken, and laid back. He doesn’t mind being pushed out of the way by little hands, or having small dogs bark at him. Mickey is like a wise old soul, he doesn’t complain and he certainly doesn’t cause any trouble. Sure he drools puddles, shakes the walls when he barks, and when he lays down he takes up my entire living room, he tries to fit his entire body in my lap but he’s a Great Dane and that’s what they do. Somehow he was never broken, his spirit remained even after what he had been through and he was still willing to love back. Mickey was courageous enough to keep going to fight all that was against him.

Mickey will eventually be able save other lives when he is well enough and has regained his weight and strength. One day Mickey will be able to donate blood to other dogs in need that come to our clinic. He will be a mascot and a symbol of hope because of his story and the way he has bonded a family. All of us at Animal Clinic Inc now have at least one thing in common, and that’s our love for Mickey the Great; Great Dane that is!