She doesn’t bark much, she doesn’t do tricks on command, and she certainly doesn’t know she’s doing anything special. She just shows up — tail wagging, energy calm, eyes bright — and somehow, that’s always enough.
Meet Suzzy, a Maltipoo living with a Filipino family in Abu Dhabi, and one of the friendliest faces you’re likely to come across in the emirate. Wherever she goes, people tend to smile a little wider.
“You can see how a small moment with her can brighten someone’s day,” Michelle Cerico shares with TGFM. “Even a simple smile she brings to someone can already make a positive difference.”
The Maltipoo who chose her family
Suzzy came into Michelle’s life the way the best things often do — unexpectedly, and with very little deliberation on either side. When the family first encountered her among a group of dogs that needed to be rehomed in Abu Dhabi, the choice didn’t feel like a choice at all.
“The moment we saw her, we just knew — she was the one for us,” Michelle recalls. “She had this calm, gentle energy, and she instantly connected with us. It didn’t feel like we were choosing a dog. It felt like she chose us.”
From that day on, Suzzy became a full member of the family. And wherever the family goes — weekend outings, errands, casual drives around the city — she comes along.
Sweet, playful, and just a little dramatic
To know Suzzy is to understand that she contains multitudes. On most days, she is exactly what she appears to be: gentle, friendly, and perfectly content to be in the middle of whatever is happening around her. She loves people, thrives in the open air, and has the kind of easy temperament that makes her a natural around strangers and children alike.
But let someone ring the doorbell, and a different Suzzy emerges entirely.
“She suddenly acts like a big dog, like she’s trying to scare whoever’s at the door,” Michelle says with a laugh.
She is also, by Michelle’s account, an expert at reading departure cues. The moment shoes go on or bags come out, Suzzy positions herself by the door — watchful, hopeful, ready.
“Whenever we’re about to go out, she’ll stand by the door, watching us closely and hoping we’ll pick her up so she can come with us,” Michelle says. “It’s honestly hard to leave her sometimes.”
Joy that needs no introduction
Out in the streets and open spaces of Abu Dhabi, Suzzy has quietly built a reputation of her own. Neighbors recognize her. Children rush over to ask if they can pet her. People who have never met Michelle stop to take photos with the small Maltipoo trotting beside her.
“There are people who stop to smile, some even ask to take photos with her, and kids especially get excited,” Michelle says. “It actually happens all the time.”
None of it is orchestrated. Suzzy doesn’t perform or posture. She simply moves through the world with an openness that people respond to almost reflexively. And it turns out, that openness travels well beyond Abu Dhabi — Suzzy has quietly amassed over 20,000 followers on Facebook, a global audience drawn in by the same effortless warmth that stops strangers on the street.
For a Filipino family navigating life far from home, watching that happen — day after day, stranger after stranger, screen after screen — carries a quiet kind of joy all its own.
“Just like what dogs naturally do,” Michelle says, “Suzzy brings joy wherever we go.”
A bond that travels
For Michelle, Suzzy is more than a pet and more than a companion. She is a constant — something warm and familiar in a life that requires constant adjustment. On the hard days, the exhausting ones that come with working and living abroad, Suzzy is simply there.
“No matter how tiring or stressful the day is, she’s always there waiting, excited to see us,” Michelle says. “Sometimes, we even find ourselves talking to her about our day, our stress, our thoughts — and somehow, it helps. She just listens quietly, without judgment.”
When the family eventually returns to the Philippines, there is no question about what happens next. Suzzy goes with them.
“She’s family,” Michelle says. “We would never leave her behind.”
Registered, loved, and right where she belongs
Suzzy’s life in Abu Dhabi is also fully official. She is registered under the Abu Dhabi government’s pet registration system through TAMM and holds an Animal Ownership Certificate issued by the Department of Municipalities and Transport — a requirement that applies to all pet owners in the emirate.
For Filipino families and other residents in Abu Dhabi who haven’t completed this yet, registration is processed through authorized veterinary clinics and can be initiated via the TAMM portal at tamm.abudhabi. It’s a straightforward process, and one that every responsible pet owner in Abu Dhabi is required to complete.
Because responsible ownership goes beyond daily walks and feeding schedules. A dog is not a toy or a passing impulse — it is a living being with feelings, needs, and a personality that will grow and change over the years. Bringing one home means committing to their care not just when they are small and playful, but through every stage of their life — when they are sick, when they are aging, when the novelty has long worn off.
Pets need time, patience, consistency, and love. They depend on us every single day. And before anyone decides to bring one into their home, that weight deserves honest thought.
