Meet Maev’s September Dog(s) of the Month

This may come as a surprise, but there’s nothing we love more than celebrating dogs. So, each month we’re spotlighting a dog from our community. For the month of September, we’d like you to meet Mishka, Nova, and Oraya!

Tell us about your dog’s origin story (how they chose you, how you chose them, or how they got their name).

Mishka means “little bear” or “bear cub” in Russian. It’s a common phrase for children to use to refer to their teddy bears — which is exactly what Mishka looked like in her “adopt me!” photo.

Nova: Just like every other millennial, I grew up obsessed with Zenon (Girl of the 21st Century), and she’s “my superNova girl!”. A supernova can occur when a white dwarf is triggered into a runaway nuclear fusion. Nova is a white, mini husky, so that was a cute play on words for her name, too.

Oraya: She got her name from one of my current favorite books: Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. The character is adopted, and so brave and fierce, regardless of how scary the world around her has been growing up: just like my Oraya, who we think was dumped by a breeder on the streets, picked up as a stray around 3 months, and dropped at a shelter. She was only there a couple days before we grabbed her, but she was pretty sick. I instantly loved her and knew if she pulled through, she’d be my first foster fail.

Squirrels, bunnies, or birds? Birds, birds, birds! Our neighborhood pond/stream is full of ducks, herons, and more that they wish they could chase and snack on all day!

What’s your absolute favorite thing about your dog?
Gosh, picking just one thing is hard. My girls have brought so much to my life in different ways. I guess I would have to say my favorite thing about them is how they all had not so great starts to life, but that didn’t stop them from being the kindest, most loyal, and trusting pups.

What’s your dog’s favorite thing about you?
That I feed them, LOL. Kidding (kind of). I wish I knew, honestly! Just another reason it would be amazing if they could talk to us.

My guess is there are a lot of superficial favorite things. I can throw a ball pretty far for Nova to fetch for hours on end, I scratch just the right spot on Mishka’s tummy, and I know all the best places to take Oraya on walking/hiking adventures.
But, the realest answer is probably how I help them navigate situations. They all desperately needed someone to advocate for their needs. I’m lucky that they’ve let me be the dog parent to do that for them.

If you could text your dog (or if they could text you), what would you say or ask (or what would they say or ask)?
This was funny to think through! I now desperately wish we could all have a group chat.

Mishka would nonstop text me “updates” (aka tattletale on her sisters).

Nova would send me “I love you” every 5 minutes, heart emojis, and constantly ask when I’ll be back and why I left without her.

Oraya, who is currently going through her teenage phase, would ignore all of my texts. She would only ever text me if her treat was gone or if she was hungry/needed something, and say how unbelievable it was that I’m not there to give it to her right then.

What’s your dog’s go-to Maev product?

They love the chicken and beef raw food formulas, but nothing makes them go crazier than the supplement bars. They’ve tried the Weight & Digestion and Skin & Coat formulas. I have no idea what’s in there that’s so delicious, but they would do anything for them.

Anything else we should know about your dog? (think: funny anecdotes, defining characteristics, etc.)

Mishka is a 3-year-old Pomklee (Pomeranian x Alaskan Klee Kai) who is a die-hard daddy’s girl with “oldest sibling” mentality. She might be the smallest, but she runs our house.

Nova is a 2-year-old Pomsky (Pomeranian x Husky) who has yet to figure out her limits, preferring to expend all of her energy until she literally plops over and sleeps for hours on end.

Oraya is an 8-month-old Siberian Husky who loves her sisters more than anything in the world and thinks it’s funny how, for her, mom’s runs are really just walking fast. Maybe one day she’ll find someone who can keep up with her!

Follow them here!

Is there a special dog in your life that you’d like to nominate? Slide into our DMs @meetmaev