This skinny dog with almost no fur had lived for years at a construction site in South Dakota, USA. Her red skin was covered with scabies, and her look was poker-faced and sad. One day, she was accidentally spotted at the construction site by a volunteer at Lightshine Canine Rescue Center.
After that encounter, Mikita’s life changed. She was taken to the rescue center, where they began treating her skin for scabies, feeding her regularly, and taking care of her. It wasn’t until the dog started to grow a coat and recovered a bit that the staff realized Mikita was a husky breed.

“[I] got my application in right away to be an approved adopter and scheduled a meeting,” Sova told The Dodo. “She was so tiny and just the sweetest little thing. My son had come with me to meet her, and we both fell in love.”
When saw Mikita’s photo and story on the shelter’s page, a woman named Jessie couldn’t pass her by. She was so touched by the girl’s story that she wrote to the shelter and decided to take her in. The staff agreed, and soon Mikita moved in with the woman.

“It was kind of like having a baby in the house,” Sova said. “She’d wake me several times a night, and I had to decipher what she needed (if anything). One night, I woke to her screaming, and she couldn’t get her back legs under herself to stand. My friend took us both to the emergency vet.”

In addition, doctors diagnosed Mikita with discospondylitis – a bacterial infection of the intervertebral discs, so she had to be given antibiotics. But when the ailment passed and Mikita got used to her new surroundings, she transformed into a different dog.

“It took a long time to build up her strength and stamina, and her back doesn’t bend very much, but she does great,” she added. “I swear her fur keeps getting longer and longer. I don’t think we’ve maxed out on length yet.”
Mikita became a happy, beautiful and cheerful girl. Her fur grew back completely, she became more active, and more playful, and made friends with her owner’s pet dog.

“I can’t imagine life right now without her,” Sova said. “She’s so silly and interesting … Watching her heal and grow, I’m not sure I have the words for how it feels. It’s bittersweet at times because I think about her condition when she [was rescued], but I also think about how lucky I am to have such a sweet baby.”