Mintaka

Mintaka came to Redstone Husky Rescue as a transfer from Harris County Pets in November 2022. We named him in the wake of losing our own precious wolfdog, Orion... named after the brightest star in Orion's belt in the sky.

He was a broken and battered, a defeated shadow of his former self. His body was frail, his skin was painful and flaking off, he was underweight... and he was dying. 

Within just a few days of being in our care, Mintaka was in the ICU literally fighting for his life as he battled pneumonia. The next several weeks were hard on us as we tried to keep his appetite going, but he wanted to eat so little. He was eating chicken, turkey, and rice for weeks on end through his treatment. Over time, he decided that turkey Pro Plan was his favorite, and he stuck to that. 

After several weeks of recovering from his pneumonia, realizing we had defied the odds and he was going to survive, he underwent surgery to extract damaged, broken teeth from his mouth. He was neutered at that time as well. 

A few weeks of downtime for surgical recovery, and he was cleared to start his final battle to full recovery: Heartworm Treatment. Over months, he prepared by gaining weight, getting his skin healthy, having his heart and lungs recover from a pneumonia that nearly killed him... and finally it was time. He handled his injections like the champion he is. 

On May 20, 2023, National Rescue Dog Day, Mintaka embarked on a journey back the direction he had originally come from. We took him several hours to south Texas where he met a group of people and dogs that accepted him like he had been there his whole life. 

Home.

He was finally home. His new teenage girl knelt down to greet him as he cautiously walked through their front door. She carefully introduced him to their other nine dogs, and then walked with him through their fully fenced in acre property. Half is cleared with lush grass, and the other half is wooded and full of amazing smells and pathways to play together. 

Mintaka stayed behind to explore the trees for a few, but when he realized that she was calling him, he came running where they sat in the grass together and he soaked up the sun and the belly rubs he has been longing for all his life. 

Home. 

Was this what home felt like? 

We went back inside while he enjoyed the grass and his new girl to do paperwork, signing his adoption contract, and we slipped out leaving him with his new family none-the-wiser that we were sneaking away. Some adoptions bring tears to your eyes because they are bittersweet and it's hard to let them go. Not Mintaka's. I cried from happiness as we drove away leaving him the best years of his life yet to come.

He deserved this. He deserved home.