In Memphis, Tennessee, a dog named Riona suffered from a very painful experience after she was intentionally set on fire in a Nutbush neighborhood. She was running down the street in flames but thankfully, she was rescued by Tails of Hope Dog Rescue, a non-profit organization composed of a network of dog lovers. She was then transported to Bluff City Veterinary Specialists where she received immediate care and treatment.
Riona has burns on over 60% of her body and is scheduled to get skin grafts after a week. And while she is recovering from the initial treatment, Mallory McLemore, a vet tech at the clinic, and others started dressing Riona in colorful bandages. According to Mallory, Riona’s bandages needed to be changed daily and they wanted to have fun and make her look pretty by creating playful looks. That was how Riona’s colorful bandages came to life.
Aside from covering Riona up with colorful bandages, the vet staff also wanted to raise awareness about animal abuse and get justice for what happened to Riona. So they started a TikTok page for her where they have been posting updates about her recovery and of course, her new bandage outfits. Though they didn’t really expect the first video to blow up and they were just happy with getting the word out and a thousand views.
But it did and within eight to ten hours, it was up with hundreds of thousands of views and it even reached Paris Hilton who then shared Riona’s story. Soon enough, Riona earned herself celebrity status and a worldwide level of attention. Strangers from all around the globe have been sending her presents and cards with well-wishing messages.
Mallory and Tails of Hope Dog Rescue hope that with Riona’s story told through her TikTok videos, people will be more aware of animal abuse. You can check the viral video below.
@justice4riona Humans covered her in gas and set her on fire. She was running down the street covered in flames. Yet all she wants to do is to love on everybody! Share her story! #justice4riona #tailsofhopedogrescue #dogsoftiktok #dogrescue #shareherstory
Source: TikTok via justice4riona
