Malcolm was the first surrendered dog case that I helped as a volunteer.
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| Malcolm, on the day his family gave up on him |
The first thing that struck me about him (a senior 10-year-old poodle), was that he seemed to be very easily following me and letting the vet handled him with no signs of distress, despite his very sad physical condition (overgrown nails, bald patches of hair, and crusty bumps all over his skin, which had turned black at some parts), and the fact that his family had just left him with complete strangers. I soon realized that Malcolm's quiet nature and lack of response was really him being completely disconnected with his surroundings, a result likely of absolutely no interaction and complete neglect from his former family. To the extent that at first we even thought he was deaf (in addition having very limited sight due to permanent cornea scarring, which could be prevented with care).
It was only when his foster (Grace) continued to talk to him and engage with him (despite us telling her that he is deaf– she never gave up!), that he started to react slowly, and we found out he could actually hear. With all the love, care, and devotion from his foster, his hair slowly started growing back (showing us that his real coat was red!), and he even learnt to follow some vocal commands.
Malcolm's journey was not a smooth one, as from the very first days at his foster's house, he began to show signs of extreme separation anxiety (understandable as he had been suddenly given up by his family at the age of 10, which also resulted in him being separated from another dog that he grew up with). His anxiety showed up from him howling all night, to following humans around all over the house and being unable to settle down when left alone and peeing anywhere whenever he was excited or nervous. Despite these challenges, his foster continued to guide and he slowly became more and more himself. So much so that a few months later, when I took him to meet a potential adopter, he gave me a few affectionate kisses (licks) on my hand and cheek. I almost teared up as I realized the quiet silent sad lost-in-his-own-world dog had now blossomed into a confident dog who was now interacting with his surroundings, being himself and showing his love.
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| Malcolm & volunteer, Sukriti |
While a number of people approached us, it took us a while to find him a suitable home, given his number of issues. Not everyone can afford the commitment, and Malcom has anxiety issues that require medical intervention. One day, destiny smiled on Malcolm, and while on a serendipitous evening walk with him, his foster walked into an almost identical looking red poodle (Momo) and his owner Margaret, and they got talking. Soon after, she wrote to us expressing interest in adopting Malcolm. It turned out Margaret and her husband (along with their dog Momo) were the perfect family Malcolm had been waiting for. We are so grateful for them to have opened their home to Malcolm, and so very delighted that he has found his forever home. Despite being given up, suffering from high separation anxiety and being almost blind, he fought the odds and has finally found his family to enjoy his senior years. A big thanks also to his foster, who showered him with so much love and the HDR volunteers that supported along the way.
