Hello mutter, hello Fido - The continuing story of Oxana Malaya, girl raised by dogs


Largest dog in the world? Pit Bull saves 2 women from deadly cobra Biggest dog, smallest dog... more...

Children rescued & raised by dogs

Stray dog saves freezing baby

7-year-old 'dog boy' emerges from forest

more...


"hey oxana i think you are a special girl and you deserve..."

Sources:
¹ "Feral Children."
Channel4. 2006 Jul 17.
² "Oxana Malaya."
People's History. 2002.


Hello mutter, hello Fido
The continuing story of Oxana Malaya, girl raised by dogs

ODESSA (Ukraine)
Sep 25, 2006

In August 1992, a "small, shy girl" was brought to the Odessa Institute for disabled children in southern Ukraine. She was 8 years old and had spent the prior 5 years of her life being raised by dogs. Today she is 22, and her place in human society remains in dispute.

Recently, 22-year-old Oxana Malaya showed her boyfriend how she can bark and run on all fours. It was so convincing that he bolted like a terrified postman.

This is just one of the many social challenges Ms. Malaya faces in everyday life. It's been 15 years since her ordeal, but psychologists last month concluded that she's not ready for the human world.

Ms. Malaya was born on Nov. 4, 1983 in the village of New Blagoveshchenka (Новая Благовещенка). At age 3 she was abandoned in the back yard by her abusive, alcoholic parents who eventually disappeared altogether.

Ms. Malaya recounts: "Mum had too many kids. We didn't have enough beds, so I crawled to the dog and started living with her." ¹

Like the strays in the neighborhood, she ate scraps, carrion and raw meat. With no one to teach her human customs and language, she turned to the dogs.

"I would talk to them, they would bark, and I would repeat it. That was our way of communication." ¹

SHE'S HER OWN BEST FRIEND
Oxana Malaya (Оксана Малая) was raised by dogs from age 3 to age 8. In this 2002 picture she is 18, acting out how she got the name "dog girl" (which she says she doesn't mind being called).
(Photo: Channel4, UK)

After 5 years Oxana was found. Authorities were shocked to see her running on all fours, lapping her food and biting at fleas. If she had an itch behind her ear, she would scratch it with her foot.²

Specialists began teaching her language and social graces. Although she seemed to understand human speech, she only responded in monosyllabic "barks". She avoided other children, instead favoring the company of dogs.

Oxana Malaya today Today, after years of special education, Ms. Malaya speaks and acts like a human, but certain canine traits remain deeply engrained in her psyche. In times of stress, she reverts to her past. And she still sleeps curled up like a dog.

"When I feel lonely, I find myself doing anything. I crawl on all fours. This is how lonely I am. Because I have nobody, I spend my time with dogs. I go for walks and do anything I want to, and nobody notices that I crawl on all fours." — Oxana Malaya

Physically she is healthy. She is strong for her petite size (5') and has acute hearing, smell and sight. As one might also expect, she has a way with animals (caring for cows at a nearby farm) and horticulture (yep, she finally gets to dig up the garden).

But psychologist Lyn Fry says Oxana's mental age is only 6. Dr. Vladimir Nagorny concurs, saying, "[We must] find a proper occupation for her, and it will focus her mind from dogs and animals to some sort of useful occupation. But she'll never be considered a normal person."

Still, Ms. Malaya's canine upbringing has given her many admirable qualities which only dog lovers can recognize. "She has a sense of humour," says Ms. Fry. "She likes to be the centre of attention, to make people laugh."

Several weeks ago, another distinctly canine trait showed itself. For the first time since her ordeal, she met her father, and she forgave him completely. She says, "I am longing for affection and kindness. I like and respect them very much, no matter what kind of people they were." ¹