My name is: Chip (but I also go by Chippers, and Mr Wiggly Jones)
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: London
My favourite things are: Tennis balls, being outside, people, and a lap to cuddle in
Follow me on Instagram: I share an account with my brother, Quinn, so find us at @the_mighty_quinn20

Chip’s story

Chip initially came to us as a foster, as he had potential adopters and was due to travel to the UK, with a brief layover at ours, while the necessary checks were completed as it was still COVID times and processes were slightly delayed. This later changed due to no fault of his own, and we knew within seconds of learning that he had become available again for adoption, that he was meant to be part of our family. Underdog made the process easy and offered the assurance that they had each dog's wellbeing in mind.

Upon first meeting Chip, it took roughly 0 days before we knew that this was well worth the experience, no matter how much work we were anticipating he might be. Chip was at first timid but always with his tail wagging slightly. He quickly showed us the art of the snuggle, which we thought we had already mastered with our older boy, Quinn. He also taught us that patience is pivotal as we adapted to new schedules and training. Chip was fully house trained and knew that a couch was meant to be laid upon. As he gradually warmed to being in our home, it became evident that he may need some boundaries in place as he tried to be "top dog".

I should say that one consideration for fostering was that the pup had to not disrupt our then ten year old lab Quinn's day to day too drastically.  He ruled the roost for ten solid years and we wanted whatever golden years we had with him to be comfortable and fun. With a short period of adjustment, and navigating who was the "OG" of the family, Chip settled in nicely to our routine, helping to enhance parts of our daily activity which we hadn't thought needed attention. 

He's shown us the importance of a routine, being consistent and understanding his cues. He's also the best hype man when it comes to going for a w-a-l-k. We have seen Quinn's energy and overall quality of life improve, with many thanks to his "little brother" who likes a walk or two (or three on really REALLY good days) but is also always up for a bit of play time. We are still working with Chip on some manners with licking and being off lead, but that's to be expected for any young dog. He prefers to always be with us, but settles into his alone time after a Kong treat and reassurance. Random movements and sounds can send him to "his spot" (which is a corner in the living room where he can also keep eyes on the goings on of our family) but we offer assurance that he's truly a good boy and always safe, which sends his tail wagging and seems to be short lived. He's been introduced to buses and trains, car rides and even learning to swim (he DOES have a small percentage of lab in his ancestry after all). He's recently been certified to visit schools where he'll help children to feel comfortable to read out loud, and with any luck, he'll make a few friends along the way. 

I could go on and on about this little fella who's burrowed his way into our hearts pretty deeply, but I'll leave you with this; if you're considering fostering or adopting, and have the time to put in the work, you won't regret it. We'd take in another dog or two if space permitted, but for now, we'll revel in the two that bring us immense joy every day. When looking to add four more legs to our family, we registered with Underdog International to try opening our home to a pup who might need a bit of love and possibly guidance. The charity has been supportive with all areas of need, be it general questions or behaviours and have remained involved even after things have settled down. We're so grateful to Underdog for their continued support and engagement, their impact is huge but their hearts are truly bigger. 

- Abby