The Ridgeback And The Rattler
Los Angeles, CA

It's a big decision for a family to get a dog. And that was certainly true for Danish born Lone (pronounced Low-na) Mohapi and her husband, Ben. With two young kids, they needed to make sure they had the right dog. After a lot of searching, they found Laika, (pronounced Like-ah), a Rhodesian Ridgeback.

It turned out to be the perfect choice. At just 10 weeks old, Laika had the whole family entranced. As she grew, their love for this family dog grew by leaps and bounds.

Lone's daughter, Tigi, in particular, dearly loves her Laika. Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, the ten-year old has difficulty dealing with social situations and building relationships. But not so with Laika.

Tigi is extremely close to her canine fur person. "Countless times I have found the two of them asleep in Laika's bed," Lone told us. "They have the most wonderful relationship. And it's another reason we love Laika so much."

Laika's loving presence has also helped Tigi to express her feelings more. She hugs her family, talks more to her parents and has become more outgoing since Laika's arrival.

And, of course, Laika is a constant family companion. "He walks the kids to school in the morning. And he's with me when I pick them up." Lone told us. "Laika watches our son play soccer Saturday mornings, and he sleeps in Tigi's bed every night."

The family moved here from Europe about a year ago. Ben is a hairdresser and make-up artist for TV shows. But with California's economy still extremely weak, Ben has struggled to find consistent work. Besides his hairdressing work, he looks for any other work he can find. Some days are better than others.

Lone's visa will not allow her to work in the U.S. so she is a stay-at-home mom. With an income of just under $20,000 per year, the family has learned to live a value that most of us only talk about: Time with loved ones is the best time spent.

When all of them can be together for a family outing, the tight-knit clan enjoys time on the beach and going for hikes. Needless to say, Laika loves those outings, too. He races across the beach, tail wagging and tongue flying, as the kids play with their dearest friend.

So it wasn't unusual to see Laika racing around with the kids on a sunny, windy Saturday afternoon as the family went for a hike. But on this afternoon, the dog strayed from the hiking path. Suddenly, they heard Laika yelp. The dog bounded out of the grassy knoll and ran towards them, blood streaming from his nose. Then suddenly, Laika collapsed right in front of them.

Without giving it a second thought, adrenaline kicked in and Ben scooped up the big dog, and ran towards the car. Laika's mouth was swelling quickly. The whole family thought their dog was dying right in front of them.

Terrified, Lone and the children ran to some nearby houses and pleaded for help. They were told of an emergency clinic 20 minutes away. That was 10 minutes closer than their vet's office, so they rushed Laika there.

By the time they got there, Laika's entire face, except for his eyes, had swelled. The vet theorized what the family had already guessed; a startled rattler had attacked Laika. Laika's life was slipping away. If he was going to live, Laika had to be put on life support, including fluids, antihistamines and anti-inflammatory drugs. But still, that wasn't enough. To save his life from the snake's fast acting poison, Laika had to have injections of Antivenin, an anti-venom.

Because Laika was such a big dog, he needed double doses of anti-venom. That meant treatments at a whopping $700 each. These inections made Laika's small capillaries burst so the blood wouldn't clot.

Before it was all said and done, the vet finally had to administer a blood plasma transfusion because of the low protein levels in Laika's blood. And that's what finally turned the corner for this gentle giant.

In the meantime a frantic Lone searched the Internet for dog organizations that might help them save Laika's life. All the non-profits she contacted declined. Then she found us. We listened to Lone's story. We heard how much the whole family loved their dog, how afraid they were for Laika's life. We said yes.

As the only donor organization, we knew we needed the community's help to come through for this family. We're proud to say that we raised a substantial amount to help Laika with his anti-venom treatments.

But it was all of you who made this turn of events possible for Laika. Without you, none of it would have happened. We thank you so much!

On Monday, the emergency vet clinic released Laika to his regular vet, where he was again hospitalized because of his critical condition. After a few more days, Laika was finally released to his loving family.

At home, the big dog was weak and lethargic. Still, he showed his family how much he loved and missed them with a simple wag of the tail. The next 72 hours were critical, but Laika came through with flying colors.

No doubt the love that surrounded him carried Laika through. Each day he got a little stronger, and became a little more active. The horrendous swelling that distorted Laika's face finally began to recede. And the family began to breathe a sigh of relief.

And Laika? Surrounded by the family that loves him so much, he only gets stronger every day. Of course, it helps that his #1 fan, Tigi, snuggles up next to him in his dog bed. You can almost see her heart getting stronger, too.