"it's a beautiful thing to meet someone who makes you forget your troubles" ~ unknown

Mali 2 months after her rescue.

Mali’s story is coming soon but here it is in a snapshot…

I rescued Mali from the side of the road in Sanur, Bali in 2019, she still had stitches in from her rear leg amputation surgery. Locals said she had appeared there over night in terrible weather at a known Project Dharma area, an unused area of land which offered some tree cover where strays were fed by locals with some help from BAWA (Bali Animal Welfare Association) for feeding costs. Due to the site being known, it was not uncommon for dogs to be “dropped off” there. Mali stayed there and waited patiently for whoever dropped her there to return but it didn’t happen and some kind locals used Google translate to post her to Facebook in English asking for someone to help her out of concern for her post surgery stitches. I went to get her and took her to the vet where she stayed until I fostered her. After an extensive and fruitless search for an owner including contacting all vets across Bali to try to identify who had done the complicated and extensive surgery (very well), charities and vets believed they did not want to be identified, during this time I had fallen in love with her and decided to adopt her and live between Australia and Indonesia for her.

Mali, at home in Sanur with me.

In February the following year, it was clear the world was about to change and in April 2020 my Social Budaya Visa expired and, due to Covid, could not be renewed nor could I return on another visa due to lockdown.

I had no other option than to put Mali into a kennel and to return to Australia indefinitely. Life has then taken some unexpected twists and turns and to say there have been some difficult times would be an understatement. Through it all, she has kept me going and I have ensured Mali is safe and cared for. She moved four times before I found Nyoman’s Kennel and someone that genuinely cared about her as Nyoman does.

I relocated to New Zealand with hopes of getting her transported there but soon after arriving in NZ the laws around transporting her had changed once again, and it became clear it was not going to be possible nor in her best interests to attempt it.

Pak Nyoman and his first grand daughter, Ayana, with their custom fitted bike for taking Mali and her friends to the beach for their beach walks and plays.

Mali is currently happy and safe, living in what is the best family run kennel in Bali with an incredible family since October 2020. We would be lost without Nyoman, who owns and runs the kennel. Mali and I have now been separated for more than five years since Covid. Resuming house sitting again in 2024 will enable me to save to get back to her, with a little luck it will be by the end of this year or some time early next year… more photos and more about Mali’s story coming soon. 6 April 2026 will mark 6 years we have been apart, I have made it a goal to get back to her before that.

Mali and me, rescue day at Sunset Vets Kuta, 2019.