When people hear the name Miracle, they often think, "There must be a story behind that one..." In this case, they'd be right.

Little Miracle (or “Mickey” as we've taken to calling him) was born on December 10th of 2005 along with 9 other brothers and sisters to a beautiful, full-blooded, black Giant Schnauzer mother and a big German Shepherd father. Mom was supposed to have been spayed, but as things go, there were 10 healthy, wriggling puppies.

For about 8 weeks, Mickey and his siblings lived the simple life of a puppy, living on mom's milk and, when they were old enough, a raw diet consisting mostly of chicken. Then, all received their first set of puppy boosters and four of the litter (including Mickey) were transferred into a rescue group so that they could get better exposure and find adoptive families. They were split into pairs and placed into two separate foster homes. Mickey and one of his brothers were placed together and remained in the new home for two weeks.

...with the worms ravaging their systems, it was like pouring kibble into an empty pit.

During those two weeks, the health of the two pups rapidly deteriorated. They were kept outdoors in a small, dirty enclosure and immediately picked up worms which began eating away at their tiny puppy bodies.

They received an adequate amount of food for growing 8 week olds, but with the worms ravaging their systems, it was like pouring kibble into an empty pit. When they most needed protein and nutrients to begin building up their bones and muscles for adult life, they weren't getting it and this began to take its toll. Their digestive systems couldn't function normally and they were both plagued with diarrhea, lethargy and loss of appetite. At the end of the two weeks, the foster parent finally told someone about the condition of the two pups and they were immediately removed. The volunteers that coordinated the transport later reported that just the sight of the puppies' emaciated bodies made them sick to their stomachs.

Finally, help had arrived.

But for Mickey's brother, it was too little... too late. Within the next 24 hours, he had died from starvation and from the worms that had simply taken over his tiny body. Mickey was still lethargic and had no appetite, showing every sign that his fate would be the same as his brother's. Within the next few days, he was moved to yet another home where he received a large dose of wormer to begin killing off the parasites in his intestines. Slowly, he began to resume eating and drinking, though the lack of sustenance for two weeks had taken its gruesome toll. His new foster parents described him as “hunched” and noted that he walked strangely, “like a camel”. He could not run. His legs and back were crooked because his skin was stretched so tightly over his tiny frame and because the worms were causing such immense discomfort. His bones jutted out in every direction and his abdomen was bloated. He didn't play or bark as a normal puppy would, but simply followed his foster parents around the house like a silent little wraith.

It was heart-breaking to watch as this big brother, so fat and sleek, tried to romp and play with Mickey.

The next six weeks showed little to no improvement. His foster parents even tried some physical therapy to help strengthen his poor, stunted limbs and spine. Mickey ate, but it became obvious that a single dose of wormer was not even close to what it was going to take to kill the stubborn worms. Mickey was transferred to yet another foster home, making it his fifth home and his fourth switch in 3˝ months. He was taken immediately back to the original caregiver, to whom the mother belonged, and there received his second set of puppy boosters, a month and a half overdue, and a big OD of wormer. While there, one of his siblings who had remained with the original foster was brought out and the difference was unbelievable. Little Mickey, a 3˝ month old Giant Schnauzer/German Shepherd cross had weighed in that day at 11.5 lbs.

His big brother? More than 40 lbs. He was four times bigger than Mickey in both weight and size. Same litter, same parents, drastically different history. It was heart-breaking to watch as this big brother, so fat and sleek, tried to romp and play with Mickey. He only succeeded in knocking the pathetic little pup off of his shaky feet, as he stood, hunched and bewildered. Pumped full of wormer, Mickey returned to his new foster home and was put on a special, high-protein dog food which he began receiving 4-5 times daily along with cottage cheese or eggs. Everyone waited to see what would happen. The next few days would tell if Mickey had any chance at anything close to a normal life.

And they did. Within 72 hours, vast improvements had begun to occur. Mickey's back and legs started to straighten out. He ate everything placed before him with ravenous hunger and his digestive system was producing nice, firm stools. He began to bark. He began to play. He began to run around with his foster siblings like a normal, healthy puppy. When he had gained a little weight, he began going on nightly walks to further stretch his legs and get the muscles working.

On his first walk, he immediately fell behind, but, determined not to give up, Mickey plowed steadily on as fast as his boney legs would carry him; never stopping, never wavering. Just march, march, march. It wasn't too long before he could keep up with the rest of the pack, sometimes letting his restored puppy energy carry him to the front!

He began steadily gaining weight and went back for more wormer a week after his first dose. It was clear that his intestines were, at long last, parasite free, though a few reminders of his poor beginnings still hung on. His face and ears were plagued with a skin disorder resembling mange that was causing dry, flaky skin and rapid hair loss. The fungus was quickly spreading and it was decided that a trip to the vet and some special ointment were in order. A week after that, a call to the vet dismissed Ringworm as a possibility, but the ointment had managed to contain the spread and several days later showed the skin healing and the fur growing back.

He began to bark. He began to play ... his intestines were, at long last, parasite free...

When his story was first publicized, Mickey had gone to yet another foster home with Crossroads. All of his fur has grown back in and, at 4˝ months, he weighed a little over 20 lbs. Now, he is living happily ever after in his wonderful, new forever home. To those who don't know his story, he has every appearance of a perfectly normal, happy fellow. To those that DO... He's a little Miracle. Back to Happy Tale