Misha ACCT-A-162619 is currently considered urgent and at risk of euthanasia due to lack of space for incoming dogs, and length of stay. Misha must have confirmed placement with a RESCUE PARTNER or ADOPTER by Thursday, May 30th at 10 A.M. Should Misha's medical or behavioral status change, his urgency and timeline for placement may also change.
Misha is a 4-year-old male who came in as an owner surrender on 5/2, along with Banshee (ACCT-A-162618). Their owners, who were over 60, were no longer able to physically handle them. Owner had them since they were puppies.
Family members brought Misha and Banshee to ACCT on the owners' behalf. They indicated that Misha is friendly, playful, mostly housetrained, has medium energy, enjoys some activity, knows "sit" and "down," pulls slightly on the leash but not too badly, enjoys an occasional dog bone, and reacts "okay" toward cats and other dogs.
During his stay in this radically new environment, Misha has experienced significantly heightened levels of fear, anxiety, and stress, which is understandable as he has only known his home and his people his whole life. He would benefit immensely from dedicated care and attention in a less stimulating, hectic setting. Misha is still learning to trust and open up but needs more time to adjust to his new environment.
Due to Misha's length of stay, he is timestamped and in urgent need of a loving home or rescue that will give him the time he needs to come around and blossom.
On 5/20 Misha was noted to be on his last few days of doxycycline, but URI signs do not seem to be resolving. Misha has also been taking medication inconsistently due to finicky appetite. Thick mucoid discharge at nares was noted and he was bright, alert and responsive compared to previous exam, normal RR/RE. Was started on Azithromycin. PCR tested negative!
Per staff on 5/17, Took Misha out with Banshee today, two other staff members took them out Wednesday and shared his behavior was a 180 he was so excited to see her. So took him out with banshee Thursday and he was perky, walking next to her the whole time, nuzzling her. Today he easily came out of kennel and we went to go pick up Banshee, and I walked both outside. We went into the iso yard and misha alternated between wagging his stubb and coming rover to solicit pets, and then going back to Banshee. banshee at one point discovered a hole at the bottom of the fence, she got about halfway out, and I grabbed her leash, and we waited for an ACA to come out and grab her on the other side of the fence. Misha was trying to put his head thru the hole but it was too big. He became a little anxious when banshee was walked away, but followed me out of the yard. When he saw her his stubb was wagging all over the place and he trotted up to her. We went inside and put banshee inside her kennel and then I took him to his. He had not taken his meds so and wouldn't take them so I opened his mouth and put them down his mouth. I held his nose shut loosely until he swallowed and then let go. He was not reactive (though I am sure was not happy about this) and I pet him and then stepped out of the kennel.
On 5/16 PCR test came back positive for Mycoplasma and Herpesvirus Type 1.
Per staff on 5/14, Nervous and avoidant during his dog meet, but did have some good moments with interest and low wags. Would do best with a slow intro and a calmer dog.
On 5/9 Misha was noted to be sternal in cage with whale eyes, tongue out, generally quiet, alert, responsive and increased RR, once out of the kennel hesitant to interact, did not allow full handling but also did not push patient, did not take treats or snacks in exam. Scored a 2-3/4 for fear, will continue to be on Gabapentin.
On 5/8 Misha came down with an upper respiratory infection and was started on Doxycycline. Misha was PCR tested and results came back positive Coronavirus, Bordetella, Mycoplasma, Pneumovirus and Canine Adenovirus Type 2.
On 5/7 Misha was noted to have mild dental tartar and abrasions along lower incisors. Mild impetigo consistent with breed. Was hesitant during exam but allowed handling, panting and pacing
Per staff on 5/6: Misha got to stretch his legs today! When I appraoched his kennel he came right up to the door with soft eyes and a low tail. I leashed him ears to snout easily and he came right out once secured. We were even able to walk right through the kennel building with no fear this time! Misha walked SO nicely and didn't pull at all! When we got to the room Misha explored for a few minutes and got the lay of the land. When he was done exploring he came and sat right by my feet. I gave him some pets and he leaned back into them. I got down on the ground with him to give him some more love and he gave me a bunch of face kisses and just melted into the floor, rolling over for belly rubs. Misha is doing sooooo much better than he was when he first came in! All he wanted today was attention and belly rubs. He rolled over at multiple points to get some love. While he was rolled over I did notice that some of his teeth look pretty rotted, and put in a check for him. Misha wasn't super interested in any treats I offered him, and he perked up a little at toys but didn't really want to play. He's a low energy guy that just wants to hang out and get belly rubs! When it was time to return to kennel Misha walked back through the kennels beautifully again! He returned to kennel without any issue and watched me with soft eyes as I walked away.
On 5/4, Misha got to visit with Banshee for a few minutes, during which he kept up his usual nervous posture, but opened up significantly considering his stress: after recognizing Banshee, he gave some gentle tail wags, loosened his facial expression and started panting, and felt a bit more free to move around, following Banshee's movements. See video below.
Per staff on 5/4, "Helped get Misha through intake after his eval. He did GREAT this time! Needed minimal restraint, just a leash muzzle, and even that he didn't really need. He was definitely anxious, but he was unreactive to all of the vaccines and just sat there until we were done! Even gave some face kisses!
During a behavioral assessment on 5/4, staff noted: "Misha was very anxious and stressed int he room with me. At first he would flinch whenever I touched him, but slowly he allowed some more pets. I would just crouch down and take it slow, let him know that I was going to touch him. With some time he eased into the touch, but didn't enjoy it. He wasn't really comfortable with touch and didn't solicited, but he allowed all handling. I was able to manipulate his ears and touch his paws without any issue. Misha still wouldn't take any treats in the room but did stay close to me, and sat near my feet stress panting and drooling. Towards the end of our time he actually did solicit pets once, and gave me some face kisses! I squeaked a toy for him and he trotted over, but he didn't want the toy. He rubbed his body against the side of my leg and leaned in. I gave him some quick neck scratches and he leaned in harder so I gave him some more! Very stressed and anxious at this time, but he's starting to open up slowly.
On 5/4 during initial intake exam Misha was noted to have tartar on teeth but gums look moist. He had waxy ears and red eyes. During the exam he was noted to be Bright, alert, responsive- Friendly but he was scared.
Per staff on 5/3, "Could not remove from kennel for behavioral eval or intake exam today. Misha was nervous in kennel, laying curled up in a corner. He had multiple uneaten high value treats all over the floor that I and others had tried giving him throughout the day to help him open up. It didn't look like he'd taken his meds either, which didn't help his anxiety. I was able to leash him easily. He laid there giving some light whale eye and some lip licks, but let me leash him easily. Unfortunately he would not come out once leashed. I tried sitting with him for several minutes and offering new treats but he would avoid eye contact and tuck his limbs in to his body tighter. I tried to use his kuranda bed to urge him out and he just curled up tighter to the floor. I tried some leash pressure but he refused to budge. I sat with him for about 15 minutes, trying treats and coaxing and outside pressure, but Misha was set on staying put. Rather than continuing to push and stress him out, I decided to let him stay in kennel and try again tomorrow.
Per staff on 5/2, "Unable to examine due to fractious behavior. Growling, tense body posture, dilatated pupils. Misha attempted to bite staff when attempting to get weight. As it was unsafe to proceed with intake exam, placed Time-to-Adjust slip with kennel card and started gabapentin
Per staff on 5/2, "Growling, attempting to bite multiple staff, had to be double leashed going to kennel and took experienced staff several minutes to safely get him in
Medical notes --
During an intake exam on 5/4, during which he got all his vaccines and his microchip, staff found Misha in good general health - besides waxy ears, reddened eyes, and some dental tartar.
Per staff on 5/4, "Was not interested in taking med 5/4/24 AM. Left meds in kennel just in case Misha takes them later on.
Per staff on 5/2, "Unable to examine due to fractious behavior. Growling, tense body posture, dilatated pupils. Misha attempted to bite staff when attempting to get weight. As it was unsafe to proceed with intake exam, placed Time-to-Adjust slip with kennel card and started gabapentin
Per staff on 5/2 growling, attempting to bite multiple staff, requiring double leashing to go to the kennel, and taking experienced staff several minutes to safely get him into the kennel.
Videos --
LL Pup J meets Misha:
https://youtu.be/KxqsdXuswIM
Banshee and Misha hanging out:
https://youtu.be/kSWOKJtgC6c
Banshee and Misha reunite:
https://youtube.com/shorts/it4An70qMZw?feature=share
Misha the sensitive boy:
https://youtube.com/shorts/KAsqoVj8uPo?feature=share
Misha gives kisses and gets belly rubs!:
https://youtube.com/shorts/tH4ZchcB8DM?si=fp4WCjCNwAkGrMWO
