Introducing my amazing one-of-a-kind Mika

Written by Leanne Gericke

Professional photography Nat Gold ZA 

My name is Leanne, and I’m part of a rescue organisation called Aid4Aid. I’ve been fostering puppies for almost 10 years, and while I’ve loved every one that’s come through my home, every now and then there’s a truly special soul who touches your heart in a different way.

For me, that dog is Mika.

We were contacted by an organisation in Franschhoek, Western Cape, asking if we had space for three puppies. If not, they were scheduled to be euthanised later that day. Thankfully, one of our dedicated fosters stepped forward and agreed to take all three. When the puppies arrived, they were in a heart-breaking state: skinny, covered in mange, riddled with worms and fleas, and absolutely terrified of the world around them.

As they began to recover, we noticed that they were feeding off one another’s anxiety and fear. To give each puppy the best chance of developing confidence and discovering their own personality, we decided to separate them into different foster homes. Initially, I was planning to take the male puppy, but at the last minute I chose Frannie, who’d later become Mika.

Mika had to learn how to be a puppy in a loving, safe environment. Day by day she grew stronger, more confident, and more trusting. From the very beginning, I felt a connection with her that was difficult to explain. I wasn’t looking for a second dog – especially with all the fostering I do – but there was simply something special between us. I remember telling the team, “Please don’t actively promote her to potential adopters just yet. I need a little more time before making a decision.”

One of our most memorable days together was attending the Paws-a-While World Animal Adoption Day. Mika came along and was entered into one of the competition categories. To be honest, she was still quite nervous and unsure of herself, so I carried her into the arena. Despite her fears, she won her category. Later that day, all the category winners were entered into the final round for the title of “The Judge’s Favourite”. To our complete delight, Mika won that too. She even received cuddles from the Mayor of Cape Town.

It was during that adoption day, watching this once-frightened little puppy shine so brightly, that I realised I could never let her go. The thought of saying goodbye was simply too much. That was the day Mika stopped being my foster dog and became my forever dog.

Growing up, initially she was too scared to walk, so the first few outings were in a pram.

When Mika arrived, I noticed scarring/changes on her paw pads, and she never liked them being touched. At her vet visit they thought that there was burn damage to the pads, and to this day they look different, although fully healed, but she doesn’t like them being touched.

Mika integrated into our family seamlessly, including with the resident dog and three cats. Plus, my children tell me daily how happy they are that we kept her. I’ve always wanted a Great Dane, and Mika, at 11 months, continues to grow – daily, it feels. I started to walk her in Tokai Forest where it’s been magical watching her come out of her shell and grow in confidence. She’s made many friends there and greets them all with a play bow before the fun and chase starts. She’s often down at the beach with me and my goal is to get her to come with me on my stand-up paddle board with her own life jacket for safety.

From the age of six months, once she’d settled, I was able to start fostering again – and despite her still being a puppy, she’s amazing with any new intakes. Because she doesn’t always realise her size, she must be watched closely, but she’s always keen to lick them clean and start a game wherever possible.

She may have started life unwanted and facing an uncertain future, but today she’s loved beyond measure. Mika is truly one of a kind, and I feel incredibly lucky that she chose me just as much as I chose her.

Having worked with rescue dogs and puppies for so long I’m always intrigued at how some look so similar and others not. We know that in areas where the dogs roam the street and sterilisation isn’t that common, each litter has the potential for numerous fathers. Mika’s litter was the same: her sister was very different from her and Mika’s brother. As Mika started to grow with decent food, she was getting bigger and bigger and… bigger; I’d always had a longing for a Great Dane and I thought there was a possibility she had some of that DNA in her – boy, was I in for a surprise!

Mika’s MuttMix Results:

42%        German Shepherd Dog
16%         Basset Hound
15%        Staffordshire Bull Terrier
14%        English Shepherd
13%        Belgian Malinois

We have a group of dog walkers who generally walk in the forest daily to socialise and exercise their dogs. I decided to do a Mutt reveal (baby gender reveals are so last summer!), so I gave them each a chance to guess what they thought her DNA was made up of. They were all told there’d be prizes up for grabs for those who were the closest.

Out of 13 of us, only two guessed the predominant breed of German Shepherd. I was surprised at Basset Hound, given the size of Mika; but having said that, between her DNA mixes many of them describe her personality traits to a T.