My name is Mischa, which means God or bear in Russian. Makes sense when you see me! At the end of July, my whole world turned upside-down when my parent passed away. My kitty friend & I watched over them until help came, 5 days later. The nice people took us to the shelter, but my owner’s sister could only take my cat home, maybe because something was really wrong with me. I couldn’t walk at all. It didn’t hurt, but it was so frustrating not to be able to move and I was just so sad and weak. The doctors gave me some medicine to help me feel better & slowly, I started walking. I heard them saying something like neurological & rescue only. My new friends at the shelter knew just who to reach out to when this happened– the group called the Senior Dog Sanctuary.

The next thing I knew, I was packed up in a nifty car covered in pictures of animals called a transport van & took a drive down to SDS. It was a little bumpy getting off the van, but I was determined & I liked what I saw and smelled. I was still pretty sad, but I also somehow knew things were going to be ok. Right away, they got me this pretty clever sling so they can help me walk around better. This pretty cool kat, Dr. Kip, came to see me so we could figure out what’s going on with these darn legs of mine! After some things like X-rays & blood tests, they finally had an answer- Degenerative Myelopathy. The way they explained it to me was that the white stuff on my spinal cord was disintegrating and it will work its way up my spine, like some human disease called ALS. I can tell it’s not a good thing because I see how sad my new friends are when they look at me with their puppy dog eyes.

I’m a little blue that I can’t run & play like I used to for the last 8 years of my life. I was a proud, majestic and regal king but have been reduced to this. Life is short, so I don’t let this get me down and still try to find the best in each day. I love all the soft beds my peeps put around for me to lay on. I get lots of treats, toys and puzzles to play with and keep me and my mind occupied. I love to go lay in the sun outside, the warm rays coating my face as my upturned nose sniffs the fresh air. My girlfriend Hallie likes to sneak me her pasta when no one is looking and is also an awesome snuggler. Some of the other people are ok too. Kip stops by every couple weeks and I get to look like a badass in my shades while he gives me laser treatments (Hallie + Me + Shades = Hot Couple)! I know my comrades have plans to fit me for a wheelchair, when the time comes. I’m not so sure what I think about that, but I know as long as I have my people around me, I’ll be ok. They say I am now part of their Loving Last Home program, so dogs like me can live the remainder of our lives in dignity and grace. I feel really lucky to have come here!

I hope you can vote for my story, so my friends at SDS can continue to help pups like me!