My name is: Daisy
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: Buckinghamshire
My favourite things are: Zoomies, Cuddles with my dad and snuggling with my human brother on his duvet, playing with my toys, snacking on satsumas, apples, carrots & cucumber

Daisy’s story

As a dog-loving family we had an elderly pug (Lucas) and middle-aged shih-tzu (Annie), both rescues. As much as we didn’t want to think about it, we knew that Lucas wouldn’t be with us too much longer and we also knew that Annie would not be a happy only dog, so had started to think about adopting another canine family member.

Finding a perfect fit was important, and tricky, as we needed to ensure that our new dog would be happy living with two children and two other dogs. We were looking at various rescue centres and we’d heard of Underdog International through a dog rescue in China that I follow on Insta, Slaughterhouse Survivors. We spotted Daisy on the Underdog International website, but the UK was in the midst of the first Covid lockdown and as she was in Cyprus we thought it would be impossible.

After a couple of weeks, I was still thinking about Daisy’s little face and when I looked online again she was still available, so we decided it was worth a shot, even if we had to wait a while for her to make it to the UK.

From the minute we contacted Eve, she was so responsive and the process was so straightforward. We were considered to be a good match for Daisy and she was reserved for us while a virtual home check was arranged with a UK member of Underdog International. Stef carried out our home check and was so lovely, just chatting everything through and making sure we could provide the right care and environment for Daisy.  Then once we were approved we were able to pay the donation to secure Daisy and then it was just a matter of waiting until a flight could be arranged to bring her home.

We knew this could take a while because of travel restrictions, but Eve was great and always very clear. We finally got the good news in June 2020 that Daisy had a place on a flight and would be arriving at Heathrow along with several other dogs.  At the airport’s animal reception centre, Daisy was wheeled out in her travel crate and I saw her little furry face in real life for the first time. She was so sweet from the very beginning and after a quick toilet break we drove her home.

Underdog International had given us guidance on how to introduce her to Annie and Lucas, so that all went really smoothly. We gave Daisy the time and space to settle in as she needed.  She was brilliant from the beginning, but over time she has found her feet more and more. At the beginning she was quite happy to sit in another room from us, but now will be on the sofa with us every evening and often sleeps in our bedroom (if she can be bothered to move off the sofa!) She wasn’t too sure about going for a walk to begin with, but now she loves it although it can be slow-going as she stops to greet almost everyone and every dog she walks past.

Daisy is a huge personality in a very tiny dog. She was friendly from the beginning and always enjoyed a bit of zoomies, but over time she has become more and more affectionate, demanding attention and cuddles and making it very clear if you’ve stopped stroking her too soon. She loves throwing her toys around and has a hilarious way of throwing her arms in the air when she’s excited (it’s really hard to explain). She also creates drama out of jumping onto the sofa and after faffing and grumbling, she will take the most spectacular leaps. She also comes running from another room when she hears a carrot being chopped and will sit directly in front of anyone eating cucumber, apple or satsuma grumbling loudly for her share!

With her quirky personality and extremely waggy tail, Daisy has fitted into our family brilliantly and steals the heart of everyone she meets. We were so lucky to find her and we are so grateful to Underdog International for finding her for us.

- Jo