Mystique's Story
Written By Lizz Koedam, Prima Aussies

I am not sure what happened to cause the fight or who started it; all I know is that both of the dogs had some damage when it was all said and done. The owners decided to keep the Pit (as they are harder to rehome) and gave Mystique to ARPH.

I had just joined ARPH when the e-mail went out that they needed someone to help foster a few of the Aussies. I was happy to help out and offered to foster one of the dogs. Mystique was then transported up to Virginia by several ARPH volunteers.

I drove to Ashland to pick her up and drive her the rest of the way home. When I first laid eyes on Mystique she was just under a year old. She was a watchful girl with patches of hair missing where she had been injured. She was a little reserved at first but friendly toward me and was more then happy to jump into the car and go.

When I arrived back at the house, I brought Mystique in not knowing how she would react, but she just walked in and made herself right at home. She greeted the family as if she had always known them, and she never even growled or curled her lip toward the other dogs and cat. Instead she just laid down at our feet and made her self comfortable.

Over the next few months we discovered Mystique's passions and inadequacies. Mystiques passions in life included: endless retrieving of tennis balls, cleaning the floors, warming the bed, protecting the house/yard/car, long hikes and walks, car rides, food...food...food...cookies...food...food...and more food, and lots of good scratching/petting. Her inadequacies included: licking her humans until the cows came home, snoring so loud you could hear her down the hall, hogging the bed, tiring her owners out with non-stop tennis balls being dropped in their laps, disappearing for hours only to be found waiting at the cookie jar for yet another cookie, and trying to beat her owners to the car door in hopes of yet another car ride.

Although Mystique's character faults are meager and even endearing, her physical flaws (which are only to be blamed on bad breeding and choices) are unfortunately not. Mystique is the product of a puppy mill, and her breeders did not care to research genetics nor test her parents for genetic defects. On top of that both both of her parents were merle dogs, so when they were bred together they produced Mystique, an excessive white pup (many people also refer to dogs like Mystique as lethal whites). Lethal white puppies from merle to merle breedings can have many physical problems. Mystique not only has a lot of white all over her body but she also has one eye that is smaller then the other, cataracts, hip displasia, and a thyroid problem. Mystique is actually luckier then most excessive white pups, as many of these puppies are born deaf or blind.

Because of her physical problems and her not so eye catching looks, Mystique did not have many applicants inquire about her. We took her to training classes in hopes that a well mannered and trained dog would attract more interest, but alas, no one sought her out.

Months went by and Mystique had really become part of our pack. She had passed her obedience class with flying colors and I had started to really bond with her. We started thinking what it would be like to be without this unusual girl. It brought tears to my eyes to even think of her leaving. So the decision was made that Mystique would stay with us. We filled out the adoption papers and made it all official. Today, I can't imagine our home without her. She is the butterball at our feet, the smile on your cloudy day, and the wiggle-butt greeting you at the door.

No, a house with out Mystique, is not home.

© 2004 Lizz Koedam, Prima Aussies.