Oxana Malaya was born in 1983, in a village in Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. The sad story of this woman’s life has been the subject of many documentaries, interviews and newspaper headlines. What many people still wonder is, “What would happen if humans grew up in a natural environment like animals?”
That’s what Oxana had to go through for a long period of her childhood. According to doctors and medical records, Oxana was a normal child at birth. But then, she was abandoned by her alcoholic parents when she was 3 years old.
Oxana was born with a completely normal constitution, but her life was changed by her parents’ irresponsibility.
Alone in the cold, she crawled into a dog cage on a farm. From then on, the doghouse became her home and the dogs became her family. Oxana lived and grew up around dogs.
It was not until 6 years later that Oxana was discovered by the authorities. At that time, she walked on all fours, jumped, ran, ate and barked just like the dogs that raised her. Oxana cannot talk, lacks many basic skills, and physically, all her behaviors are like those of a dog. She even eats and takes care of her hygiene like a dog.
Oxana was found to have the skills, behaviors, habits… of dogs.
Many people were startled when they heard Oxana’s barking. The angry sound she was making was not like someone pretending to be a dog, but it was the barking of a real four-legged animal. It was spine-chilling canine aggression, coming from the mouth of a young woman wearing a T-shirt and shorts.
Oxana was eventually transferred to a foster home for mentally disabled children in Barabol – Ovidiopol Raion rural area of Odessa Oblast. She has undergone many years of therapy and specialized education to address her behavioral, social, and educational issues. As an adult, Oxana was taught to subdue her dog-like behavior and learn to speak fluently.
It took her a while to learn how to live like a normal person.
Despite her incredible progress in reintegrating into society, her childhood experience with the dogs still left its mark on her. Oxana could speak, but her voice remained monotonous, lacking intonation and rhythm, without emotion.
She had a boyfriend when she was 22, but he quickly left after she showed him her ability to run and bark like a dog.
Despite all that, she still wishes to have a fair life. In 2013, on an interview show, Oxana shared that she felt offended when people considered her a “dog girl” and that she just wanted to be treated like everyone else.
Despite difficulties, Oxana still wants to live and be treated fairly like everyone else.
Oxana also expressed that she wanted her brothers to visit more often and that her main dream in life was to find her biological mother.
Currently, Oxana is living in an adult care facility, helping run a farm and taking care of animals. Experts doubt that she will ever be able to live completely independently.