Meet Mali!

Mali is your typical boisterous, busy, loving puppy only with a hole in her heart.

Mali’s backstory: Mali was picked up as a stray in Utah and taken to a high kill shelter. Another rescue pulled her and brought her North which is how she ended up with ABR. She has spent most of her life in a kennel or crate until I got her. When taken for a well check, we learned she had a grade 5 heart murmur. An ultrasound showed a hole in the ventricles of her heart. Mali then went to WSU’s Veterinary College where we learned that the hole was inoperable. The good news is that the ventricles, even with the hole were pushing blood the way it should. Mali was then put on three medications that she will have to take for the rest of her life. How long will that be? Mali will need to go back to WSU for another ultrasound in eight months for us to get a long term prognosis but judging from her activity level and the absence of symptoms, she could have many years (this came from her cardiologist). The cardiologist made a point of telling us she does not have congestive heart failure.

Mali came to us completely untrained but I am working on getting her going in the right directions. She was thin and malnourished. She has grown like a weed and is nearly doubled in size. Mali is looking more like a Brittany than a little waif. Mali is very smart. Housebreaking is going very well using bells and she is getting control of her bladder. She is good in letting you know when she needs to go out for a bowel movement. She has learned sit, no, come, and down as she tends to jump on people. She has learned that toys are for chewing and blankets on the furniture are not although I don’t completely trust her yet. You also can’t leave small things like remotes in her reach. It was fun watching her get the idea of the toybox so now toys are scattered everywhere every day. Mali is guided by her nose so leash training is not going well at all. Mali will also need a fenced yard because of that nose, she follows it whichever way she gets a scent.

Mali still shows fear so I am thinking she has been mistreated. Today has been a challenge as it is pouring rain and when I try to get her to come to be dried off, she is afraid, cowers, and runs. She does love people and enjoyed all the people at WSU fussing over her.

Honestly if I didn’t have four dogs of my own, Mali would be staying with me. Five and then a foster(s) would be a bit too much for my little home and yard.

If you think you could give Mali a great home with lots of love and cuddles (she likes being held like a baby), please apply. She is going to make someone’s life as wonderful as she has mine.