SuppliedEveryone loves an underdog – it’s a fact writ large in the history of humanity.
So, it’s no wonder that Mishka, a Very Good Boy with a fractured skull and slightly wonky face, is such a hit with his human and the rest of us online alike.
The two-year-old Siberian husky doesn’t look like his two older sisters, Saskia and Nova, his owner Tabi Kris tells UNILAD, since he was attacked another dog when he was just 10 weeks old.
SuppliedTabi recounted the savage attack, saying:
When he was about 10 weeks old my neighbour’s dog tore apart my fence and attacked Mishka, fracturing his skull.
I had to call the police and pound on their dog several times to get him off.
I took him to the emergency vet immediately. They weren’t concerned about surgery, and they gave him pain meds and antibiotics to prevent infection.
SuppliedTabi had only bought Mishka home to meet his new husky sisters, Saskia and Nova, three weeks earlier.
She recalled her ‘instant love’ for Mishka, adding:
He was born May 5, 2015, and was a perfect happy and healthy pup.
I first saw his picture on a Facebook post when he was barely a few days old and instantly knew I had to have him in my life.
I picked him up when he was seven weeks old, and took him home to meet his new sisters Nova and Sakia. It was instant love.
SuppliedMishka had settled in well with Saskia, Nova and Tabi, but the unprovoked attack shook the new family.
She told UNILAD her concerns over Mishka’s injuries:
I honestly wasn’t sure he would keep his left eye, I was sure they would have to remove or amputate it.
SuppliedThankfully, Tabi explained, Mishka suffered no permanent damage beyond the cosmetic after the attack.
The pet groomer from West Texas said:
Luckily there is no permanent damage to his sight, or brain, and aside from his crooked snoot, he is healthy, happy, and normal.
SuppliedAfter the incident, the neighbours moved away. Mishka’s adoptive family rallied around, and his sisters became very protective of the young pup.
Three years down the line and Mishka’s sisters think he’s more handsome than ever.
The incident bought them closer together and they even share doggie popsicles now:
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Tabi said he is now happy to meet other dogs and their humans, alike:
Nova kept babying Mishka and protecting him from anything she thought could cause more harm.
But he has no fear of any dog. Or person! He loves meeting new people mostly, but he gets along with their dogs too.
SuppliedIt seems there’s a silver lining to Mishka’s injury: Doggie Twitter and Facebook want to ‘boop’ him and think his so-called ‘derpy’ smile is heckin’ cute.
Translation: Dog-obsessed folk on social media want to pet him because they like his face.
You can kind of see why:
[ooyal[ooyala player_id=”5df2ff5a35d24237905833bd032cd5d8" auto=”true” width=”720" height=”1280" pcode=”twa2oyOnjiGwU8-cvdRQbrVTiR2l” code=”VtN2VkZTE6r4qfJ2k-XY3AlEi6ThRnb-"]p>Posting his pictures online, Tabi regularly gets bombarded with comments, love heart emojis and shares, especially when Mishka has just been to the groomers.
A Very Good Boy, indeed.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.