My name is: Curly
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: North London
My favourite things are: Morning cuddles in bed, belly rubs, breakfast, dinner, snacks and any other opportunity to eat…
Follow me on Instagram: @curlythebigg

Curly’s story

We had deliberated a long time about adopting a dog, because we wanted to ensure that he or she would settle in to our London routine. Although we regularly go for long walks in the countryside we appreciated that a day-to-day existence in a busy city might not suit every dog. 

I would refresh the Underdog International website every day having been told about them by a friend and when I saw Curly I knew he was the dog for us. I immediately sent a screenshot of his page to my fiancé Alfred and with his (very quick) agreement I pinged off the application form to Eve. 

Our virtual house visit with Stef was so reassuring – she answered all our questions, talked us through the whole process and was great at checking in with us once we had been approved. Both Eve and Stef have been brilliant throughout the whole process. 

Curly arrived on a chilly December morning with a rather severe haircut and donning a Christmas jumper. He was full of beans and had apparently been very vocal in the van but sitting in the back of the car with him, he was much more timid. But there was a glimpse of the affection to come when towards the end of our journey home he very quietly came and lay next to me so that we were touching. 

It has to be said that despite preparing ourselves for a few months of him being unsettled, Curly quickly made himself at home. He didn’t have any accidents (apart from one evening which I prefer to view as his attempt to make a dirty protest at my choice of film…) and despite the disruption of Christmas, he was completely unfazed by trips across the country to see friends and family. There was a slight mishap on Christmas Eve due to his obsession with food and resulting in him overindulging with a mince pie which meant he had to spend the night waiting for Santa at the vets rather than at home…

We had bought him a cage to sleep in but right from day one he made it very clear that he wasn’t going to go anywhere near it so we pulled his bed out which he absolutely adores and is definitely his safe space. What he loves even more is jumping into bed with us on a weekend morning for a “lie in” – Curly could snuggle for Britain. 

He gets very excited for walks and jumps up and down on his back legs when you bring out his harness and lead but his absolute favourite thing is food and anywhere that might act as some kind of food source. You can be in a huge empty field with lots of space to zoom about in and play, but if there is a bin and possibly a scrap of food in it, Curly will be there, giving it a good sniff or trying to grab a sneaky bite. 

With his eponymous curls now grown back, Curly is such a cute and affectionate dog who never fails to lift our spirits and also puts a smile on the faces of everyone he meets. Sometimes guilty of “small dog syndrome” and starting a fight that he has no intention of finishing, he is otherwise in our eyes completely perfect and we cannot imagine life without him. 

- Olivia