Little Ria the Survivor – The story of Ria\'s traumatic beginnings and her journey to a better life.

Tripawds of MDDB

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better had a Halloween party a couple weeks ago for supporters and 20 shelter dogs, including several tripawds. The dogs all had a great time at the party. Even though the goal wasn’t adoptions, I was hoping someone might be interested, but no one was. Here are the adorable tripawds that were there.

Casino

Casino is a long-time shelter resident who often comes out to adoption drives wearing his blood donor harness and a donation box around his neck. He’s so sweet with people and loves belly rubs although he’s not a fan of other dogs.

His costume won the prize for the dress-up-the-dog contest.

Didi

Didi is 9-10 years old and has been in the shelter for many years. She was rescued after an accident and had her front paw amputated. I haven’t seen her brought out before, but she was loving all the attention she was getting.

She won second prize in the contest for the Bad Dog costume. It’s a creative costume but she’s a confirmed good girl!

Archie

Archie is three years old and he’s another blood donor because he’s a big boy. They think he’s a shepherd mix. He was rescued with two broken legs and a fractured tail. One of his back paws was literally rotting away and had to be amputated, but he recovered well and loves running around and playing with other dogs. He wasn’t part of the costume contest, but he looks handsome without a costume.

Joe

Joe isn’t really a tripawd but he mostly walks on three legs because one of his back legs is permanently disabled. He’s about 7 years old and has been at the shelter since March 2023.

He’s another hero blood donor who comes out to adoption drives often with a donation box around his neck but is never promoted for adoption. But just look at his face! How could anyone resist him? He’s super-friendly with people and most other dogs and he’s so cuddly and fluffy. I’ve been posting for him to get adopted for the past couple weeks and got one family interested, but they’re not sure since he can’t go on long hikes. 😥

I wish all these beautiful dogs would have a chance at a home and not have to spend the rest of their lives in the shelter. They’re so much more than just a sad story to raise funds or to be used as blood donors and then forgotten about when they’re not needed. They’d be just as wonderful as a member of a family as any four-legged dog.

P.S. Ria says hi!

Ria’s Forever Home (With Me!)

Ria is officially a foster fail! I decided that a couple months ago and am just getting around to writing this post. Her potential adopter decided she wasn’t ready to adopt, and I did feel like Ria wouldn’t be completely comfortable with anyone else. She’s just so attached to me, and I’m attached to her too!

I went away for a weekend at the end of June and sent all my dogs to boarding. After Ria’s great escape the last time I was away, I was a little worried about her, but it was only two nights and she did okay although she waited sadly by the door and refused to eat or drink. When I saw how overjoyed she was when I came back, I knew she was mine!

Happy dog on coffee table and in bed — Sprawled out on the coffee table

So she’s now a permanent member of the family. I thought I’d just introduce all her siblings:

Smiling dog — Merrell is always my baby; he loves to be right by my side.

Merrell: My baby boy, my first ever dog, going to be 7 years old next month. I was volunteering at a shelter in 2017 and someone had just dumped some newborn puppies. They were only 2 days old so I asked if I could try to foster them to see if they could survive. Merrell was one of those. He was the first of them to open his eyes and I knew I was keeping him. His three sisters all lived too and were adopted. Merrell is a sweet, reserved, loyal boy and he’s always been gentle with Ria.

two dogs on a couch — Gorgeous Nymeria hanging out with Ria

Nymeria: This gorgeous girl was abandoned in a park near my house four years ago when she was 7 months old and still had stitches from spaying. I thought surely she was a lost dog, but a microchip revealed she’d been adopted from a shelter 10 days before and then abandoned. I’d fallen in love with her already, so of course I kept her. I named her Nymeria after the direwolf in Game of Thrones. She’s my running buddy, loves running even more than treats! She’s also the most outgoing of the pack, always wanting to give everyone she meets a hug.

Penny: This cuddly, hyper little girl is almost 2 years old; she arrived 6 months before Ria. I was fostering her for a rescuer who named her PIA (pain in the ass), so I decided to think of a nicer name that starts with P! She’s the self-appointed guard dog, always letting me know if anyone or anything is outside. She hated adoption drives and just wanted to sit on my lap all the time, so I kept her too. Since she and Ria are so close in age, they’re friends most of the time, but Penny can be rough sometimes. She’s learning to give Ria space when she needs it.

Big Guy and Bengtiao: My two Taiwan cats, aged 12 and 11. Adopted in 2013, I brought them with me to Malaysia in 2016. They hate Ria and Penny because the two dogs would team up and chase them. I feel a little bad for them since it was their house first, but now Bengtiao is comfortable in the foster cats’ room, and Big Guy has found his own lair where he feels safe.

Sweet Patches loves and welcomes everyone

Patches: Another foster fail from when I was fostering four cats in 2021. Merrell and Nymeria decided we had to adopt her! She loves all the dogs and all the dogs love her. Ria loves playing and cuddling with her. Every day, Patches goes around grooming the dogs. Penny is her favorite, and Ria is a close second.

And of course, there are the fosters. Only one foster dog, David, who stays outside because he’s always lived outside and has no interest in coming in, and three foster cats, but I keep the foster cats separate from the dogs.

In my small house, Ria really has to be the last foster fail (although I said Penny was going to be the last!). She knows her home will always be with me. Whether it will always be here, I don’t know. Her annual vaccination is in the first week of November, and I’m going to get her a pet passport; just got them for the other three dogs last week, and Big Guy’s turn is on Tuesday. While I don’t have any plans yet, it’s good to have them ready just in case.

Ria Meets Her Potential Adopter!

Just when I thought Ria might stay with me forever, I got an inquiry on Petfinder from someone who sounded great. She has three cats and always has several foster cats around, which would be good since Ria likes cats. We set up a meeting on Wednesday afternoon, since it was a public holiday.

Ria doesn’t trust anyone except me and will bark non-stop at anyone who comes into the house, so we went to the little park on the corner. Ria had a great time running around while we were waiting, but when the adopter (Della) came, she was not too happy. She barked and backed away. Then when she saw Della had treats, she happily snatched those, then went back to a safe distance by a bush.

If I moved closer to Della, Ria would move a little closer, but she still did not want to be touched. After getting to know Della more, I was even more convinced she’d give Ria a good home. She’s from Virgina like I am, always had dogs growing up and wanted to adopt a senior or disabled dog to give them a chance. She said she usually doesn’t even look at younger dogs on Petfinder, but she fell in love with Ria’s smile! She said she’ll visit as many times as it takes for Ria to get comfortable.

So she came back today (Saturday) and things went much better. At first, Ria had the same attitude. Della said she looked like a princess while I was carrying her and asked Ria if she could pet her. Ria shoved her with her paw.

At the park, Ria sniffed Della’s hand, then backed away and barked like, “What? No treats? Go away!” But after several treats, she started to warm up, sitting closer than before. Della pet her back and Ria was okay because she thought it was me touching her. When she realized it wasn’t she backed off again, but then came back.

Finally, she let Della pet her. No one other than me has ever been able to pet her like that. She even gave some kisses! I asked Ria if she wants a new mommy and she didn’t seem so sure about that. It would be hard to let her go. The next plan is to go visit Della’s place and see how that goes. Just a visit; then we’ll plan further!

Ria Is All Grown Up!

Ria is over a year old now, and I just had her spayed a few weeks ago. I had put it off for awhile because one of her ears had a notch in it, which could indicate she was spayed by trap-neuter-release (TNR), when she was young. The vet said it was unlikely, but impossible to know for sure. Not wanting to put her through unnecessary surgery, I decided to wait and see. She went into heat, so that confirmed it!

She got to come home from the vet the same day and recovered quickly. I was surprised that she’s now 13kg (28 pounds)! This will be her full size, although I’d thought she wouldn’t get much bigger than she was a few months ago.

She’s outgrown her harness, so I had to use one of my other dog’s harnesses to take her to the park. It fits her well. She’s so thrilled to get a chance to run! She prefers grass rather than road, so I have to go at a time when there aren’t many people there.

Ria gets excited about running through the grass at top speed! She stops before running into a puddle.

No more adoption drives for Ria recently because I’ve been trying to get three puppies adopted first (not staying with me!). They were abandoned in a cage at my friend’s house; I put them in a boarding house since no one would foster them and it’s too expensive to do that for long. I don’t want them to end up in a shelter; any dog that goes to a shelter is almost certain to stay there for life. The shelters are all far away, no one can visit, and no one brings dogs out for adoption drives if they’re over 6 months old.

Shiloh, Zahara, and Maddox are waiting for their forever homes.

That was why I decided not to let Ria go to the home for dogs with special needs. They never try to get those dogs adopted, and while their basic needs are met, it’s not like having a home. She’s much better off with me, and if there’s no one else out there for her, she can stay here.

I actually got one inquiry for her on Petfinder, someone who sounded nice and responsible and had brought her dog and cat from China. While I was excited about the chance, I did feel a bit sad at the thought of letting Ria go. She said she’d ask her boyfriend about setting up a visit, then didn’t get back to me and never replied after I followed up. Maybe it’s for the best!

Ria Having Fun Every Day

No more adoption drives for Ria lately, although I still haven’t decided I’m going to adopt her myself! There have just been other dogs that more urgently needed help.

Ria is so full of joy and life; her big grin and wagging tail would make anyone’s day. I took her out to the park a couple weeks ago even though it has a “no dogs” sign. There was no one there and she had an amazing time.

She doesn’t mind baths; afterwards, she gets zoomies and rolls around on everything. Here she is, happy after drying herself on the couch!

The coffee table is one of her favorite places, either to sleep by herself or with Patches or Penny. Then she’ll sit up and take a flying leap on top of me!

She’s still a bit shy with strangers. Whenever anyone comes to the house, she’ll bark like crazy, but now she does it with a smile, and she will pause if she gets a treat. Anyone who gives her treats will eventually become a friend.

I’m happy to have her here with me until she finds a perfect home, and if she never does, maybe she’ll just stay with me. Malaysia is such a depressing place for dogs in general. Sometimes I think I should just take my four dogs (yes, I’m counting Ria as mine!) and three cats and go to the US. But I still have one foster dog and three foster cats that I need to find homes for, so I probably won’t do that anytime soon.