A dog from Memphis, Tennessee finally found her forever home on Tuesday, June 20, a year after her heartbreaking story of torture and rescue.
Riona, the 2-year-old pit bull mix, was doused in gasoline by her former owner and was found by Nutbush residents running down the street engulfed in flames last year. She suffered 4th degree burns to over 60% of her body.
Riona was then cared for by a non-profit organization, Tails of Hope Dog Rescue, and was dubbed the “Warrior Princess” for going through a long recovery process.
Many dog lovers have followed Riona and her path to recovery. And on Tuesday, Riona’s tragic and painful story came to a beautiful and heartwarming end as she is adopted into a family with a mother, father, four children and two dog sisters, reports The Commercial Appeal.
Speaking to The Commercial Appeal, Natoli, co-founder of Tails of Hope said: “Our goal was to find him a forever home, and that’s exactly what we found.”
Natoli continued, “Riona has other dogs to play with, she has kids to play with, she has a big yard to play in, she has a family that is medically experienced and understands what her injuries were.”
Natoli also revealed that many people have applied to adopt the paw– pular puppy, “A lot of really good people. We have had news from Germany, Sweden, England.
The trip to Riona’s new forever home took two days and was about a 10 hour drive.
On a Facebook post, Tails of Hope revealed that they all agreed that Riona would be best adopted outside of Memphis.
They wrote, “We all took her under our wing and are extremely protective of her. And if it meant an extremely long journey to personally deliver her to her new family, that’s what we did.
A user asked what state Riona was being taken to, to which the organization replied, “We are not going to identify exactly where she is for her safety.“
Along with her new place of residence, the identity of Riona’s new family is also not revealed, “just to be on the safe side.”
When Riona arrived at her new forever home, the dog received the VIP welcome she deserved. The children gave her “Welcome” signs and her two doggie sisters immediately played with her. Natoli said, “It was like she had known them forever.”
During Riona’s recovery, Mallory Mclemore, the director of Bluff City Veterinary Specialists, where the dog was cared for, became the dog’s foster mother.
In a Facebook post, the Tails of Hope revealed that some of their staff were sad that she was leaving her adoptive mother, while a few were upset. But said, “Many are crying tears of joy!”
They continued, “As a rescue and as a foster family, our ‘end goal’ is to rescue, rehabilitate, rehouse and repeat. The four R’s of rescue. »
With Riona’s successful and heartwarming relocation, the organization took in another burn victim named Gideon. If you would like to help, you can donate through The Tails of Hope Dog Rescue Facebook page.
