A dog from Memphis, Tennessee finally found her forever home on Tuesday, June 20, a year after her heartbreaking torture and rescue story.
Riona, the 2-year-old pit bull mix, was doused in gasoline by her previous owner and was found by Nutbush residents running down the street, engulfed in flames last year. She suffered 4th-degree burns on over 60 percent of her body.
Riona was then taken in 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 followed Riona and her road to recovery. And on Tuesday, Riona’s tragic and painful story has come to a beautiful and heartwarming end as she gets adopted into a family with a mom, a dad, four kids, and two dog sisters, The Commercial Appeal reports.
Talking to The Commercial Appeal, Natoli, co-founder of Tails of Hope said, “Our goal was to get her a forever home, and that’s exactly what we found.”
Natoli continued, “Riona has other dogs to play with, she has children to play with, she’s got a big yard to play in, she’s got a family that has experience in the medical field and an understanding of what her injuries were.”
Natoli also revealed that a lot of people applied to adopt the paw-pular pup, “A lot of really good people. We heard from Germany, Sweden, England.”
The journey to Riona’s new forever home was a two-day road trip and was about a 10-hour drive.
On a Facebook post, Tails of Hope revealed that they all agreed it would be best for Riona to be adopted outside of Memphis.
They wrote, “We have all taken her under our wing and are extremely protective of her. And if that meant an extremely long drive to personally deliver her to her new family well that’s what we did.”
One user asked which state Riona was being taken to, which the organization replied with, “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 are not being revealed either, “just to be on the safe side.”
When Riona arrived at her new forever home, the canine was given the VIP welcome she deserved. The kids made her “Welcome” signs and her two doggie sisters immediately played with her. Natoli said, “It was like she’d known them forever.”
During Riona’s recuperation, Mallory Mclemore, the manage at Bluff City Veterinary Specialists, where the canine was treated, became the dog’s foster mom.
In a Facebook post, the Tails of Hope revealed that a few of their staff were sad that she is leaving her foster mom, while a few were upset. But said, “Many are crying tears of joy!”
They continued, “As a rescue, and as fosters, our ” end goal” is to rescue, rehabilitate, rehome and repeat. The four ” Rs” of rescue.”
With Riona’s successful and heartwarming rehoming, the organization has taken in another burn victim named Gideon. If you wish to help, you can donate through The Tails of Hope Dog Rescue Facebook page.
