Melete - young special needs husky girl in Cyprus is looking for a home

***ADOPTED in GERMANY***

Melete stormed into our lives on December 31st, 2018.

Our experience with Melete started with her being diagnosed with pyometra and rushed into surgery on New Years’ eve. Just a few days before that Meli was rescued by kind people who collected her from the highway. They could not keep her, and somehow miraculously, we had a spot available in short term foster home. She could stay there for a couple of weeks before she can have space in the Sanctuary.

When foster home collected Melete, she was severely underweight and as it turned out later that day anemic. We were not sure if she would survive the surgery.

That night, the stars were shining for her. Luckily for Meli, she had a blood donor and received a blood transfusion before and during the surgery. That indeed increased her chances. There was no better New Year present for us than finding out that Melete woke up after the surgery.

After the surgery, she went straight to foster home to recover.

At first, Melete was scared of new people and wanted to keep dogs away by snapping at them if they come too close. However, considering what happened, it was not surprising she felt stressed, vulnerable, and defensive as a result.

In February 2019, when Meli fully recovered from the surgery, gained some weight, she was ready to join the gang in the Sanctuary. Before she arrived, she spent a few weeks at the trainer’s facilities, so we could get a better idea of her personality.

In March 2019, Melete joined the Sanctuary. She was feeling better and loved all the company, space, and playtime she started to get.

Meli settled quickly. Her best friends are female husky Leila and our resident sausage dog named Coconut. Believe it or not, but Meli’s playfulness does not stop on people and dogs, she also likes playing with cats.

Meli loves a lot of things. She likes sitting on people’s lap without any kind of awareness of her size. Not typically for a husky, she likes to play fetch. At first, when we started teaching Meli all these games, she was reluctant to give away a ball. By playing exchange games with her, she became a lot more relaxed and not guarding balls anymore. The trick is to remember that nothing should be taken away from her forcefully.

Meli likes all sorts of toys. Sometimes she grabs a toy, tosses it in the air and then chases it.

She loves human company, as much as dog’s. Apart from daily playtime, she also needs snuggles. Melete lives in the house with the caregiver, so she is familiar with vacuum, TV, and other house noises.

She is a friendly, happy, enthusiastic dog. Which is why it is still a mystery for us how she ended up being a stray dog? Why was no one looking for her? And most importantly, what happened to her leg and why it was not fixed on time?

From the vets’ words, it seems the front leg was broken when she was still a puppy. It could have been fixed and grow to normal size, but no one did anything about it. They advised against amputation since she is still using it for the balance.

There may be a small chance her front leg can be fixed, but this is not something vets can do in Cyprus ( due to lack of equipment, like CT scans and MRI for animals).

Meli, however, does not seem to think she has any disability. She runs, plays, and acts like any other young, playful dog. We believe in the future Meli would benefit from physiotherapy and supplementations to support her muscles and bones.

We know Meli for over a year. During this time, we have only seen all her good sides: her sweetness of character, her crazy playfulness, affection for people, and curiosity. Sometimes, you just forget about her small disability. Meli loves living and loving.

We think that Meli can settle with another playful dog, as well she can settle with a cat ( given that cat is socialized with dogs). Because of her disability, we would advise against adoption in families with small children. Unless the family has access to the certified force-free trainer who could help educate children on how to behave around dogs correctly.

Since Meli settled so well in the Sanctuary, it would be easier for her to settle in the countryside, rather than a noisy city.
Usually, we do not insist on gardens, as long as dogs spend enough time outside. However, in this case, the preferences will be given to adopters who have gardens/yards. For Meli, it is also important to avoid stairs.

We know from first-hand experience that Meli brings joy everywhere she goes. Whoever can offer her a home she needs will be a very lucky person.

Medical history

December 2018 – urgent surgery for pyometra. Blood transfusion.Biochemistry. IDEXX Lyte 4. Hematology profile. X-ray 2nd plate. IDEXX 4D Plus Snap Test, IDEXX Leishmania Snap Test. Synul. Microchip.
January 2019 – Nobivac DHPPi, Nobivac’14, deworming, anti-tick treatment.
March 2019 – Meli was rushed into a vet clinic after the contact with pine caterpillar. She received cortisol injection and Dalacin 300mg for 10 days. As a result she lost a very small piece on a side of her tongue. Luckily the loss is not big enough to become a problem for Meli.
April 2020 – Seresto collar updated to a new one.