Mea, A Rescue Success Story

One morning last February, a five-month old Italian Greyhound was surrendered by her owners to the local humane society with a severely injured leg. Degloved by a raccoon trap, her leg was virtually unrecognizable and she was traumatized. The doctors worked diligently to save her leg, but only time would tell if it would heal properly enough for her to use it. She spend four months in the hospital and by then all the staff knew that she was an amazing dog who just needed to find an owner who would give the love and attention that she deserved.


When Kimberly Hall, owner of The Haute Hound, a luxury pet boutique in Jupiter, met Mea, it was love at first site. Kimberly has worked closely with the humane society raising money for rescue and already owns two Italian Greyhounds, Romé and Sicily. The doctors wanted Mea to go to someone that knew the breed since she was special needs. Kimberly was an ideal choice. Her dogs go to work with her and are rarely left alone. This was exactly what Mea needed.


Kimberly came to meet Mea for the first time after she had been in the hospital for two months. It was heartbreaking to see her leg mangled and raw and her foot swollen three times it’s normal size. Mea was so timid and shy and hid her head on the staff member’s chest the whole time.


A month later, Kimberly brought her two dogs to meet Mea. She was just as shy as before; cowering and quite unsure what to do as Sicily and Romé gave her a thorough sniffing. After they both decided she was acceptable, they went on to sniffing other things. Only then did Mea move out to sniff them, finally a breakthrough.


One month later, Mea was ready to go home! Her leg was covered in scars and a 3-inch long section was missing fur and muscle that would never grow back. The leg doesn’t bend and one toe and the pad on the bottom were missing. Mea was a very lucky girl to still have use of this leg at all. The first time Kimberly took her to the dogpark, Mea never left her lap. Now six months later, Mea reigns supreme there. She runs around chasing all the other dogs and even gives her sisters a run for their money. She will then lounge contently on the grass, everything all right with the world.


Mea has learned to sit, loves all treats, and plays with her toys like they are going out of style. But her favorite pastimes are receiving kisses and cuddling with her mom. To get to her, Mea has no qualms about walking right over her sisters to do it. "She is quite a character! I’ve never had a dog make me laugh as much as Mea does," say Kimberly, "I never know what she’s going to do next, and she’s so smart!"


Sometimes, being that smart gets Mea into trouble. She steals toys out of the toy bin at Kimberly’s pet boutique. "If I see her sprinting off towards the backroom of the store, then I know something’s up." But when Mea gives her that sweet, beguiling look, Kimberly can never stay mad.



"Rescue dogs really do know that you’ve given them a second chance at life and they are forever expressing their appreciation for it. I love all my dogs madly, but when I look at Mea, my heart swells because I know she’s been through so much and yet is able to maintain her optimism and sheer enjoyment of life. We all could take a lesson from her. I’m so glad that she came into my life."