Laika's Story - How a Lost Dog Found Her Family

A New Friend?

It was a normal Saturday morning, September 2, 2017. My neighborhood Facebook page had some posts about a stray German Shepherd near my street. Several people had tried to catch it, but it was afraid of everyone and ran away from them.

I went about my day and went outside to mow my lawn. I finished mowing one section and turned off the mower. When I turned toward the sidewalk, a dog was standing there!

“This must be the dog my neighbors were talking about on Facebook” I thought to myself. The poor thing was filthy and skinny with matted fur. It was obvious she was starving and very thirsty.

As with any dog I don’t know, I was cautious. I slowly crouched down and held my hand out to her. I started talking to her in a soft voice. She hesitated for a minute, but slowly crept toward my outstretched hand. I let her sniff my hand. I could tell she was scared and didn’t know who to trust.

Laika right after she arrived. skinny dirty German shepherd dog.

After a minute I decided I should try to get her into my back yard so we could contain her and try to figure out to whom she belonged. This poor dog that ran away from everyone else who tried to help her cautiously followed me through the gate into the back yard.

Whose Dog is This?

I got her a big bowl of water and asked my neighbor for some spare dog food. She gulped it all up immediately. It was obvious she hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in quite a while. I tried to pet her, and my hand came away grasping big clumps of dusty hair. She was covered in shed fur and must have been miserably hot on that summer day.

She seemed to immediately become attached to me. She was following me around everywhere and seemed distressed when I went inside the house. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but I had been adopted.

Wanting to find her owner, I put out several Facebook posts in my community and called a local vet to see if I could get her scanned for a chip. Fortunately, the vet was able to see us right away. The scan did not find a chip. Since she had no collar, I started to wonder if she had been abandoned. Many dogs are abandoned near the railroad tracks outside of my neighborhood. The vet gave her some shots and examined her. She estimated the dog was about a year old.

What Do I Call This Dog?

I brought her back home and figured I needed a name to call her until we figured out what to do with her. I’d never owned a dog, but there was a name I had always had in mind in case that ever happened.

Laika was the name of a small Russian dog. In November 1957, the Soviets launched her into space to orbit the earth, making her the first living creature to travel to space. She was one of the most important dogs to ever live, even though most people have never hear of her. I had always liked Laika’s name (pronounced “Like-Uh”) and thought it would be a great fit for this poor creature that showed-up on my doorstep.

I started calling her Laika, and it wasn’t long until she understood that was her name.

Learning to Trust Each Other

When my wife got home from work, she met Laika for the first time. She wasn’t thrilled with the name I had picked (she wanted to call her a girly name like Bella, lol), but she let me have my way. We decided to give her a much-needed bath. Laika seemed to enjoy it and she seemed much more comfortable afterward.

That afternoon I continued my yard work. When I picked up a rake, Laika collapsed on the ground in a fearful submission pose, as if I was about to beat her with the rake. I instantly realized that she had been abused by whomever had her before. I felt so bad and tried to comfort her and let her know that I would never hurt her like that.

For the first year we had her, Laika was extremely skittish and would shy away from all other people. I was really the only person she fully trusted. She loved my wife, but Laika would pee on the floor when my wife would try to pet her. This told us that it was probably a woman who had abused her. This all improved after several months, thankfully.

We had two cats in the house at that time, so we were nervous to bring Laika inside. Since she had been on her own for so long, we assume she must have had to survive on her predatory instincts. We didn’t know if she might try to hurt Molly and Lily. For the first two days we had her, I kept Laika on a leash so that I could control her. While it is clear that she has some predatory tendencies, she has never harmed our cats, or any other pets. She has killed rabbits and mice, however.

We went to PetCo and spent a fortune on a dog crate where she could sleep, along with several toys and accessories. We knew she had had some level of training in the past, because she immediately started using the crate and felt comfortable there. She was also housebroken and knew how to sit.

I spent a lot of time over the following months training her on behaviors and tricks. We bonded a lot during this time. At first I did not want a dog, but she quickly grew on me and became my friend. Now I can’t imagine life without her.

Now Laika Is Family

It’s been over six years since that fateful day when Laika picked me to be her dad. She went from being a half-starved, filthy, scared little dog to a beautiful, friendly, happy addition to our family. She protects us, keeps us company, makes us laugh, is great with small children, and she is a great travel dog.

To this day, Laika insists on being with me while I mow the lawn. I think it reminds her of the moment she found her family. I was honestly not thrilled with the idea of having a dog at the time, but she has truly become a member of our family and I am so grateful that she found her way to us.