Baltic Winters Rescue Event

[aray17]

#1 Welcome Home COMPLETE
#2 Bonding COMPLETE
#3 Gaining Confidence COMPLETE
#4 Training COMPLETE
(being replaced with other
tasks due to her physical
impairment)
#5 Extra COMPLETE
#6 Road to Recovery COMPLETE
#7 Making Friends COMPLETE
Art

[aray17]

Today I went to the local husky shelter
to look for a ranch dog. I had heard
from a friend who works there that
there were some new huskies that
had just been rescued. I walked into
the shelter and started looking at the
many dogs in the endless kennels. In
the third kennel,there lay a bandaged
up girl whose eyes stared into mine
and her soft chocolate eyes melted
my heart.I found a staff member and
started to fill out her paperwork to
adopt. She was so perfect but I knew
it was going to be a challenge getting
her healthy again. I read on her info
that she was hit by a car and has
severe nerve damage in her right
hind leg. My house with stairs is
going to be a problem then. I
finally finished her paperwork and
a staff member helped me load her
into my car. She didn't seem to mind.
I wrapped her in a soft blanket and
she laid quietly in the passenger seat
beside me. I drove to PetSmart to
get her a collar, food, toys, bed, and
treats. I picked out a powder blue
collar along with some "healthy" dog
food. Meanwhile, she laid in the car,
waiting for me. I loaded my goods
into the car and opened up a bag of
treats to tempt my girl with. Her
head rose and ears pricked instantly.
I placed a treat on her seat and she
sniffed it and scarfed it down
quickly. I gave her a couple more
and then put the bag away. She
stared at me and whimpered, wanting
more. We finally drove up to my ranch
and I opened up her door and she
looked at me, expecting me to carry
her into the house. I had one of my
ranch-hands get a wheelbarrow to
put her in and wheel her into my
house. I scooped her up and gently
set her into the wheelbarrow. She
didn't look scared, she looked
relieved and calm. I set her on the
new bed I got for her next to my
fireplace and bundled her up. She
soon fell asleep and I let her rest
there for a while. I started to
think about what I should name
her and I thought that she should
be named something that meant
miracle or lucky. So I looked
online and found her new name:
Zada Mireille.

[aray17]

Since I just broke my ankle a month
ago (in rl), my girl and I spent a lot
of time laying around on the couch.
She laid bundled up in her blanket
that became her on adoption day
and I lay on the couch with my
favorite blanket. We would watch
basketball game after basketball
game. We watched American Idol
and tried to sing along, but failed.
When I would binge watch Agents
of Shield, she would growl at Ward,
or any other villains. Zada barks
and growls at the nature shows,
especially the penguins and wolves.
When I snack on all of my favorite
junk food, Zada will snatch some
bites here and there. She especially
loves my favorite flavor of Doritos.
This is a problem because the bag
of Doritos is not big enough for the
two of us ಠ_ಠ On days where my
Chick Fil A cravings are going
crazy, we hop in my car and we
drive off to the place we call
heaven. I get her the grilled
chicken sandwich and take off
the buns and I get two of the
Original with extra Chick Fil
a sauce. Yes we are quite lazy, but
in order to recover, we both need
our rest. After a couple of weeks,
I finally brought out her new collar
to see if she would wear it. I gently
slipped it around her neck and she
didn't seem to mind it. As far as
exposing her to people, the only
people she is comfortable are the
Chick Fil a drive thru workers and
my ranch hands. As for unexpected
visitors, that's still a work in
progress. Also, she hates being
alone so when I have to leave for
work, she lays in the stables with
my tolters and ranch hands. She's
become the ranch favorite among
the men due to her silly expressions
and ability to burp. I believe the
men taught her how to burp one
day when I was at work. She doesn't
have a fear of men or of the horses,
which is good, but she is very scared
when someone tries to touch her
right hind leg. One of my younger
ranch hands touched her leg and
she nipped him. After that, she
started to growl at him but after
a couple of days, they were better.
Every night, since I'm single as a
Pringle, she sits at my feet and
eats her food. She trusted me
quicker than I imagined she
would. We are a family.

[aray17]

After a month of healing, both
of our bandages came off and
we could start going on walks
and meeting new people. The
first place we walked to was
the river and back. It was the
first time that she had been on
the leash or had walked without
her bandages. Her scar finally
healed up and the fur was
starting to regrow slowly. I
clipped on her leash and we
started on our way to the river,
us both limping. We finally
made it to the river and she
dipped her paws in the water
then instantly jumped in.
She refused to step out of
the water. She swam around
for a while then finally got out.
We laid there for a while and
she basked in the sun, absorbing
the sunlight and drying off. We
started to head back and made it
just in time for lunch. I had one
of my friends coming over with
one of her really mellow and
friendly dogs, since I didn't
know if she had ever had any
exposure to other dogs. And,
I wanted her to become more
comfortable around other
people. Once my friend
arrived, she hopped off of
her bed and circled my guest.
Her ears were back and she
had a stare on her face. She
barked then hid behind me.
Eventually, she got closer
and moved in front of me.
Five minutes later, my
friend brought in her dog.
Zada immediately growled
and ran up to the dog,
nearly knocking him over.
She sniffed him then started
to wag her tail. They
began to play lightly and
tug on toys. She looked
happy to have a buddy. I then
knew that she needed to be
with dogs more often. After
that, we started to go to
dog parks, where she would
limp around and find a
slower dog to play with.
She made friends easily and
was a social butterfly.

[aray17]

Due to the fact that she has severe
nerve damage in her hind leg,
she will not be training. She
will not be racing either.

[aray17]

As a pup, I barely knew my mother.
Two of my siblings were taken
away by the two legged creatures
known as humans. One of my
sisters died from starvation
and another one got rabies. I ran
away from my family to start out
fresh and find a pack where I
belonged. I ran out of the bustling
human infested city and ran as far
as I could. For years, I lived in the
forest hunting rabbits, squirrels,
and birds. I ate berries and drank
from the stream. I was alone but
it was okay. I made do with the
fact that I was all by myself.I didn't
have to worry about anyone but myself.
I eventually found another dog and we
became friends. His name was Sulli and
he was a mutt. He had thick, black and
brown matted fur. His big blue eyes
pierced into my soul and seemed to melt
all of my walls and secrets. He was a few
months older than me and was twice my
size. We roamed the forest together and
he was my brother and I his sister. We
grew up together and looked out for one
another. Until one day where he left me
for the love of his life. We were running
through the forest, I, 4 years, and he just
turned 5. We were surrounded by a pack
of wolves and he got accepted into the
pack based on his muscle and size. I did
not. He instantly found the love of his
life and didn't look back. I was saddened
and depressed. I hated being alone. We
were family. But I guess all good things
have to come to an end. I ran far away
and kept on running. I ran for days and
weeks. These weeks turned into months
which turned into years. I never had a
true home, nor did I want one. I didn't
want to become attached to anyone or
anything. I ran into a small town one
winter night and was hit by a large thing
called a car. I yelped and screamed in
agony. I could not move. I was in shock
and in fear. The car stopped and the
humans got out and examined me. Then,
everything went black and the next time
I woke up, I was locked up and had
something on my right hind leg along
with other cloth wrapped around me. I
was in so much pain and could not
move nor did I want to.

[aray17]

Every week, Zada and I go visit
her favorite people: the vets.
We have to go every week to
get her leg checked and make
sure there is no infection or
other issues. Zada hates the
vets and the loud noises from
the other animals. She freaks
out when the vet touches her
right hind leg especially, so
I stroke her face and scratch
behind her ears to try to soothe
her. It takes awhile for her to
calm down but eventually she
stares into my eyes and relaxes.
After every appointment, I give
her a few treats and a good
belly scratch. Everyday, she
fights me when its time to take
her meds. I get creative and
mix them in with her meat
or crush them and put them
in her water. If she sees me
doing any of these processes
she will refuse to eat for the
day. But, I hide when I stuff
her medications into her food
so most of the time she takes
them. As for the shots, that's
a different story. Since she
cannot run, she's given up
and doesn't care anymore
when I have to give her
an injection. At first, she
used to nip at me or bark.
But after a few times, she
stopped and ignored the
process. I try to mix in
the necessary vitamins
in her food in addition to
her meds, but it's difficult.
I grind them up and coat
her meat in it. She doesn't
mind but if she smells it
and gets a whiff of them,
she will refuse to eat.
Thus, I have to force feed
her. I give her fresh
vegetables and get her the
vitamin-fortified dog food
to try to avoid the process
of smuggling in her vitamins.

[aray17]

On my ranch, I have many
tolters and other breeds of
horses, but no dogs. When
I first adopted Zada, she
didn't want to be alone. I
left her in my stables to
go to work and when I came
home, she was laying in
front of my shyest mare's
stall door. Elvire, the mare
in the stall, bent down to
sniff Zada. I took Elvire and
Zada into the pasture and they
trotted off to the weeping
willow tree. Zada laid down
under the tree and Elvire
plopped down next to her.
I observed from a distance as
Zada dozed off nestled into
Elvire. Elvire, being the most
maternal mare, seemed to
consider Zada as one of her
own, even though Zada is
much older than her. I could
tell that both didn't like being
alone and needed a mellow
companion. Elvire usually
spends most of her time alone
in the pasture or with her
daughter, Adelise Larken,
when Adelise isn't with her
mate, Sin. Elvire does
spend time with her mate
but seemed as if she wanted
a friend. Not a child or spouse.
Zada's information that was
provided by the shelter said
that she was found alone and
didn't do well in isolated
situations. When I went off
to work, I left Zada and
Elvire in the pasture to hang
out. I had one of my ranch
hands build Zada a wagon
that Elvire could pull in
case Zada's leg started to
hurt. On rainy days, Elvire
and Zada would cuddle in
Elvire's stall. As for my
other tolters, Zada loves
them all. Chancellor
loves to pull Zada in her
wagon. Zada loves the
attention from all my
horses. I have a few
other breeds of equines on
my ranch but none of them
bond with Zada as well as
my tolters. Each one of my
tolters will hang out with
Zada or carry her on their
backs or pull her in her
wagon. My ranch needed
a mellow dog to hang out
with my equines and
that's just what I got. On
cold days, Zada will snuggle
up with my thicker-fur
tolter, Khrys. Khrys doesn't
mind and enjoys Zada's
company when she's not
with her mate, August.
All of my ranch hands
feed her their left overs
from lunch. She's gained
quite a lot of weight. On
their breaks, they scratch
her belly and pet her.
After I get done with work
on Friday's, we go to Chick
Fil a and bring the ranch
hands their typical orders.
Even at Chick Fil a she has
friends. The workers come
out to pet her and give her
love and her typical grilled
chicken breast. She is loved
by many and brings a lot of
happiness and smiles to my
ranch.

[aray17]

»Shy
»Happy most of the time
»Mellow
»Gets along with most
»Loyal
»Sensitive
»Compassionate
»Caring

[aray17]

✓Warm fires
✓Cuddling
✓Swimming
✓Blankets
✓Listening to music
✓Horses
✓Laying in the sun
✓Sunlight/sun
✓Any meat

✗Ice
✗Running
✗New people
✗Cold days
✗The TV (nature shows in particular)
✗Seafood
✗Her vitamins

※Being alone
※The dark
※Thunder
※New people
※Her right hind leg being touched
※The vet