Bobby/Blue (Adopted!)

* * * UPDATE * * *

October 2013

Bobby (now Blue) was adopted by a loving family in Chicago, USA. He said goodbye to his foster mom in Kuala Lumpur and journeyed here this week, alongside his good buddy, Dumbo (now Trixie). 
They arrived on Wednesday, October 16.

Blue was welcomed into the United States by Dawn and Chuck at O'Hare Airport. He was calm and sweet and gently curious about everything from the moment he arrived. The only tarnish on his otherwise-unblemished arrival was that he emerged from his crate completely favoring his bad leg.

Dawn and Chuck took him straight to our vet, and - sadly - it was determined (after consulting with his Malaysian vet, and getting a number of specialists' opinions) that amputation of his right rear limb was in his best interest. The surgeries he had had for his fractured femur, prior to leaving his homeland, had unfortunately not borne success. 

After the vet consultation, Dawn and Chuck continued onwards to VIPs Pet Hotel, where they anxiously awaited his parents-to-be. We were deeply concerned about what their response would be to this devastating and unexpected news - but we need not have worried, as they were as committed to him as ever, which caused us to spill tears of relief and unabated joy for this sweet boy!

The truth is, Blue himself will probably be relieved at how unhampered his mobility will be, once he is unburdened from that useless limb. Of course, Dawn and I can attest firsthand to the hardiness of tripods - the speed of our girls often exceeds those attained by their four-legged friends!

But still...an adjustment to all of our thinking. 

Yet Blue has been remarkably unflappable about his current state, which is already virtually that of a tripod's. 

Here he is right after walking into his new home as if he owned the place. And apparently, admiring himself in the hallway mirror...what a delightful little clown!

He will have surgery this coming week, and we promise to provide more updates at that time after he begins his true recovery.

Blue is one tough, uncomplaining, sweetheart of a pooch. I am deeply grateful that he has amazing, compassionate, and understanding pet parents who will undoubtedly see him through, and past, this setback with flying colors.
He also has a very cool bow-wow brother who goes by the name of Webster.
The siblings are getting along great, and Mom and Dad seem to be thoroughly in love with their little boy Blue.

We are thrilled to hear about all of his adventures to date - including being the feature story of The Star, a Malaysian national newspaper. Despite everything he has been through, Blue seems to maintain a positive attitude and a hardy sense of adventure.

We are so happy for this wonderful little man!



Thank you to all who made this possible, from Wani Muthiah and Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better for pulling, transporting, vetting, and fostering Bobby/Blue; to our kind-hearted international sponsors who generously donated to help cover his costs; to Blue's amazing new human and doggie family who have welcomed him with open arms.

* * * * *

My name is Bobby.

I called the streets of Kuala Lampur my home for over two years. Two long years of surviving by my wits, begging and scavenging for food, and avoiding dangers and cruel humans at every turn.

Then one day, a half a year ago, a car smashed into me - and the entire course of my life changed in the blink of an eye. 

I thought I was dead at first. My pelvis was shattered, my shoulder was slashed open, and I was bleeding everywhere from being scraped along the street. I lay there in the street whimpering in pain as uncaring humans walked past me, turning a blind eye to my suffering. 

And then - someone did care. Someone did stop. Someone did help me.

They alerted the compassionate people of Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) who rushed to my aid. I was brought to an animal hospital where my wounds were cleaned and dressed, and where I was given pain medication, antibiotics, a soft, warm, safe crate to rest in, and proper food for the first time in my life.

When I had recovered enough, they helped me fall asleep into a deep, dark blackness...and when I woke up, after major surgery, my shattered pelvis had been repaired.



Then began my road to recovery. I spent several months recuperating at the hospital, and then I moved into a foster home - oh, wow! One with dog beds, regular feeding times, and kind people...I was over the moon. 
I have never had to live without fear of ever-present dangers, and have found life as a house dog to be the most wonderful thing ever! Here, I can rest when I need to, I can eat when I'm hungry, and I can solicit pets and cuddles when I'm feeling lonely or down. I was able to recover peacefully, safely, and happily and now am fully healed.
But change is on the horizon. My caretaker scratches me gently behind my ears and tells me that some people in the America - wherever that is - are looking for a "forever home" for me. I'm not sure what that is exactly, but I think it means a place where I am not only a house dog, but someone's house dog - someone's forever best friend. 
I know, I know...it sounds to good to be true, like some kind of a fairy tale. But this is what my foster mom tells me, so it must be true.
I guess the problem is getting me to this so-called land of promise. I'm around three years old and only weigh 25 pounds, but even so, it costs a lot of "money" (another human thing, I think) to get me where I'm going.
Most of my buddies here at MDDB are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and re-released to their old neighborhoods, or adopted locally to homes in Kuala Lampur - but because of my serious past injury, and the hardship I have already faced in my short life, my chances of returning to the streets successfully are nil. My best bet, my foster mom tells me, is to fly far away to a place where I will never have to fear returning to the danger of life on the streets again - to America - to a land where they say my dreams will all come true.
Could you be my future family? Or might you be someone willing to help me get to America, to a foster home, where I can continue to be loved and cared for until the perfect future family is found for me?

International Street Dog Foundation (ISDF), the folks who are looking for a forever home for me in the USA, have raised $460 out of the $900 needed thanks to kind ISDF supporters Sarah Kasprowicz, Liz Stroh, Hayley Wiltshire, Carolyn Jolin, Deborah Seagle, and George Graham!

Would you also consider donating to my flight cost at www.istreetdog.com? Every bit helps...

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for considering helping me.

If I had been able to look into a crystal ball at the moment I lay broken and bleeding on the streets of Kuala Lampur, I would never in my wildest dreams have imagined how much my life was about to change, thanks to the kindness of so many strangers around the world. 

Here I am, in my most recent photo. 
I am fully healed, and ready to find my forever family! I can't wait for that happy day...thank you for helping me make my dreams come true.

Please share my story and help MDDB and ISDF partner to bring me to a real home, at long last. 

Thank you so very much!!

Love, Bobby

* * * * *

I am a Malaysian Street Dog.

Our lives are filled with hardship. 
The luckiest among us are ignored and allowed to eke out an existence, hunting for food, shelter, and safety. 
The rest of us suffer at the hands of man - either because we are completely ignored and disregarded (including those of us who have been injured and are suffering in plain sight of the public), or because we are actively persecuted and abused. Some of us suffer torture at the hands of the meat trade. Many of us end up in so-called "pounds" which are really just death camps for dogs. 

We are extremely lucky to have MDDB out there, on our sides, each and every day.

About MDDB

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) is a canine welfare and advocacy project initiated to give Malaysian street dogs a second chance in life. 

Street dogs in Malaysia lead precarious lives due to certain prejudices and lack of empathy from members of the general public. As far as MDDB is concerned, the biggest abusers of street dogs are the municipal council and City Hall dog catching units that hunt down canines and lock them up in crowded and unhygienic enclosures pending euthanasia. Most of the time, the unfortunate dogs do not even get sufficient food or water while they await death. 

MDDB works hard to make local authorities understand that the best and most humane method of stray management is not culling dogs, but employing the Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage (TNRM) method, whereby dogs are neutered and released for the local community to manage. This is a very difficult task indeed, as dog catching in Malaysia has been commercialized with bounty being paid for the head of every dog caught. MDDB also rescues and treats injured dogs, as well as stray mothers and their puppies - and they hold adoption drives to find permanent, loving homes for many dogs as well.

For a wonderful article with many accompanying photos of just some of the ways that MDDB is making the world a better place, please see this lovely article here. International Street Dog Foundation is honored to partner with MDDB to help both little Dumbo, and dear Bobby. Hats off, and many thanks, for their tireless dedication to the street dogs of Malaysia!