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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A disabled rescue dog who was "left to die" by puppy breeders has defied the odds to find happiness and a true forever home.
Koa the toy poodle was born with a dislocated joint on his right hind leg. "It could have been fixed within the first two months of his life," Marisa Cubinar from Petaling Jaya, Selangor in Malaysia told Newsweek. "But his breeders were not willing to spend that kind of money."
Malaysia, like many countries across the world, has a stray dog problem with a report published in the journal BMC Public Health putting the number at approximately six million. Koa could easily have ended up among that number. However, he faced an even graver situation.
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Cubinar was told that having determined they would struggle to sell him on, Koa was "left to die in an abandoned house." She said: "He went a couple of days without food and water before the neighbors heard him and called his rescuers."
Cubinar first learned about Koa through a neighborhood WhatsApp group last year. "I instantly reached out to help cover the cost of his veterinary fees and food," she said. "One of my neighbors was fostering him but wasn't able to adopt due to the commitment required." Cubinar initially wasn't sure if she had the capacity to look after a young dog.
"I wasn't sure I was ready to own a puppy," she said. "But when the ad appeared again in my WhatsApp a few weeks later, I decided to give him a forever home with the help of my partner and son."
Koa became part of the family last October. Cubinar acknowledges that while looking after a puppy is a lot of work it's all been worth it. "It's been mostly sweet but it's not easy taking care of a puppy full-time," she said. "I'm having to juggle work and Koa's separation anxiety."
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Koa finds going to the bathroom difficult due to his right hind leg, meaning there's a little more cleanup than with most puppies and he has been known to wear a special diaper. Though Cubinar acknowledges that's probably been "the biggest challenge," she insists he is otherwise "the easiest puppy to look after" and she has no regrets about taking him on.
"He entertains himself and he's always enjoying his surroundings. A puppy like Koa needs a forever home," she said. "Koa loves other dogs and other animals too. He's also fond of cats and birds. His favorite thing to do is visit places where he can interact with other animals."
Koa has undergone a remarkable transformation thanks to the love and care he receives from Cubinar and her family. In a video shared to TikTok under the handle marisacubinar, she showed how he has gone from "skinny" and "scared" weighing just 3.6 kilograms to a "handsome" 5.7 kilogram poodle.
Cubinar said that Koa will likely always struggle to properly use his right leg, having missed out on the surgery he needed as a puppy. "Now the muscle has grown and tightened and also shortened his leg, giving his leg the lift and rendering his leg unusable for walking," she said. "He can still use his leg to stand and also scratch himself."
After consulting an orthopedic surgeon, they learned that any attempt to fix the leg would be painful for Koa and may not have the desired end result. "We don't want him to suffer any more than he already has," Cubinar said.
While they explore their options, she's just happy to have her "fighter" of a rescue pup in their lives. "I suspect Koa came to me as a gift from God," Cubinar said. "He knew I needed Koa as much as Koa needed me."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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