Journey Of Malnourished And Sick Dog Getting Rescued By NASA Pilot

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Jan 9, 2021 11:00 AM EST

The story of Dobby the doggo is one that'll really make you feel like the year started off the right way. It showcases how every animal, no matter where and in what condition, deserves care and love and how important working as a team is. It took a lot of people to help Dobby, but it was more than worth it in the end.

From being malnourished and sick into a forever home with an amazing NASA pilot dad who we know will do anything for her, Dobby is now a a happy pupper, and we are happy for her as well as incredibly thankful to everyone who helped her along the way.

Read her story and go through the rollercoaster that it is, and for more heartwarming dog stories, read about a dog who was mistreated for barking learning to bork again.

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01
"This is the first picture I took of Dobby."

via kdoremus105

"I am a pilot with the US Government and was on assignment with NASA flying their P-3 Orion aircraft supporting an air chemistry scientific research project on the small African island of São Tomé and Príncipe. Dobby was a stray dog that had taken up residence in the hangar where we were storing the aircraft.
She is still alive and doesn't die at the end, in case you were wondering."
02
"São Tomé and Príncipe is an African island nation close to the equator. It is part of a volcano chain featuring striking rock and coral formations, rainforests and beaches."

via kdoremus105
03
"This is the NASA P-3 Orion taking off on one of our first mission flights. I was there for just over a month flying pretty much every other day for 8-10 hour flights."

via kdoremus105
04
"While super sweet, Dobby was not in great shape when we first met her. She was malnourished and had a pretty bad case of mange."

via kdoremus105
05

via kdoremus105
06

via kdoremus105
07
"She greeted us before and after every flight, and loved to harass the local stray cats. She had a pretty bad limp as well from an unknown injury."

via kdoremus105
08

via kdoremus105
09
"We started bringing her food every morning from the breakfast buffet at our local hotel. Yogurt was her favorite, and she played for hours with the empty cups."

via kdoremus105
10
"Most locals on the island treated stray dogs as pests, but our local handler ended up being best buds with her."

via kdoremus105
11
"With the help of an amazing local vet, Mafalda (more on her later), Dobby started to get all the meds she needed and was getting healthier by the day. This meant that she started to wander farther from the hangar where she was staying."

via kdoremus105
12
"The local airport security "clears" the runway before every takeoff and landing. That means shooting pretty much anything that moves, including dogs."

via kdoremus105

"When Dobby followed the plane out onto the taxiway one day, the security personnel threatened to shoot Dobby if she went any further. It was time to find a place to relocate Dobby to as our hotel would not allow dogs."
13
"I found a local apartment for super cheap and rented it for the remaining two weeks of my stay. This was her first-ever car ride....very scary. See why we called her Dobby?"

via kdoremus105
14
"There are no pet supply stores on the island, so we made her a crate out of old laundry baskets and zip ties."

via kdoremus105
15
"First time going up stairs! Took a few tries to get it right."

There was a problem rendering this video - it may have been deleted.

via kdoremus105
16
"The apartment had an awesome side yard that she loved to romp around in and chase the local chickens."

via kdoremus105
17
"Car rides are starting to get better! She would come with me to the hangar every time I would fly and the ground crew would babysit for me."

via kdoremus105
18
"First time eating peanut butter lol"

via kdoremus105
19
"Remember the local veterinarian I mentioned earlier, Mafalda?"

via kdoremus105

"She is from Portugal and just happened to be on the island volunteering to help get the local goat population healthy. She was AMAZING and coordinated a very logistically challenging effort to get Dobby all the meds that she needed."
20
"She even volunteered to take Dobby into her personal home when I had to leave the island and Dobby needed more time for her medication to kick-in before she could be flown back to the states."

via kdoremus105
21
"A friend of mine connected me with a contact in the SPCA..."

via kdoremus105

into a program called Operation Baghdad Pups. While I did not really fit the requirements for the program, I reached out and they approved my application! The SPCA covered all of the expenses to get Dobby home to me in Florida and took care of all of the very complicated logistics. They were awesome to work with, I would have never been able to do it on my own.
22
"They used Dobby's story as a fundraising effort and ended up raising some money to support their international efforts. Win win!"

via kdoremus105
23
"During all of this, Mafalda had the idea to start up the first-ever animal clinic on the island. "

via kdoremus105

"Nothing like this has ever existed within this community. She ended up creating AMA, the Association of Friends of the Animals of Sao Tome and Principe. Before leaving the island, the whole NASA team chipped in and raised a good chunk of money to get her started."
24
"After many weeks of work with Mafalda and the SPCA, Dobby was on her way to the US! It was a three day journey with a stops in 4 different countries."

via kdoremus105
25
"This was the man who traveled with Dobby to make sure she made it safely."

via kdoremus105
26
"This is her at home with us in Florida for the first night."

via kdoremus105
27
"This was her first toy, we called it her "Dingo Flamingo." She loves to make it squeak and howl. It is adorable."

via kdoremus105
28
"We took her on a road trip up north to meet the family for Christmas. She was not too fond of the snow."

via kdoremus105
29
"She is the best at snuggling and lounging around the house."

via kdoremus105
30
"She is also an excellent nanny."

via kdoremus105
31
"Thanks for making it this far, Happy New Year to all!!"

via kdoremus105

"If you have the means, please consider donating to Mafalda's non-profit. She created a GoFundMe a little bit ago and it has stalled out way short of what they need. Any little bit helps, and it would mean a lot to me and all the animals of São Tomé and Príncipe."

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Journey Of Malnourished And Sick Dog Getting Rescued By NASA Pilot

"This is the first picture I took of Dobby."

"São Tomé and Príncipe is an African island nation close to the equator. It is part of a volcano chain featuring striking rock and coral formations, rainforests and beaches."

"This is the NASA P-3 Orion taking off on one of our first mission flights. I was there for just over a month flying pretty much every other day for 8-10 hour flights."

"While super sweet, Dobby was not in great shape when we first met her. She was malnourished and had a pretty bad case of mange."

"She greeted us before and after every flight, and loved to harass the local stray cats. She had a pretty bad limp as well from an unknown injury."

"We started bringing her food every morning from the breakfast buffet at our local hotel. Yogurt was her favorite, and she played for hours with the empty cups."

"Most locals on the island treated stray dogs as pests, but our local handler ended up being best buds with her."

"With the help of an amazing local vet, Mafalda (more on her later), Dobby started to get all the meds she needed and was getting healthier by the day. This meant that she started to wander farther from the hangar where she was staying."

"The local airport security "clears" the runway before every takeoff and landing. That means shooting pretty much anything that moves, including dogs."

"I found a local apartment for super cheap and rented it for the remaining two weeks of my stay. This was her first-ever car ride....very scary. See why we called her Dobby?"

"There are no pet supply stores on the island, so we made her a crate out of old laundry baskets and zip ties."

"First time going up stairs! Took a few tries to get it right."

"The apartment had an awesome side yard that she loved to romp around in and chase the local chickens."

"Car rides are starting to get better! She would come with me to the hangar every time I would fly and the ground crew would babysit for me."

"First time eating peanut butter lol"

"Remember the local veterinarian I mentioned earlier, Mafalda?"

"She even volunteered to take Dobby into her personal home when I had to leave the island and Dobby needed more time for her medication to kick-in before she could be flown back to the states."

"A friend of mine connected me with a contact in the SPCA..."

"They used Dobby's story as a fundraising effort and ended up raising some money to support their international efforts. Win win!"

"During all of this, Mafalda had the idea to start up the first-ever animal clinic on the island. "

"After many weeks of work with Mafalda and the SPCA, Dobby was on her way to the US! It was a three day journey with a stops in 4 different countries."

"This was the man who traveled with Dobby to make sure she made it safely."

"This is her at home with us in Florida for the first night."

"This was her first toy, we called it her "Dingo Flamingo." She loves to make it squeak and howl. It is adorable."

"We took her on a road trip up north to meet the family for Christmas. She was not too fond of the snow."

"She is the best at snuggling and lounging around the house."

"She is also an excellent nanny."

"Thanks for making it this far, Happy New Year to all!!"

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