Daisy
Daisy
My name is: Daisy (aka Daisy dog, Dizzy, Dizzy Wizzy)
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: Chester
My favourite things are: All people, my cats, going for walks, squeaky food shaped toys, sunbathing, visitors to my house, going on holidays all around the UK, and going to day care once a week to play with my friends
Daisy’s story
We decided we could adopt a dog after both our workplaces decided the agile work policy would be permanent. This meant that one of us would nearly always be home each day so we would have the time to dedicate to a dog!
We already had two cats, so this was a really important factor for us when adopting, as we wanted a dog who would be good with them. We also needed a dog that would be good with other dogs and children, as we had both in the family and often go on holiday together.
We submitted our application to Underdog after researching and seeing what a great charity they were! I messaged Eve about a dog I’d seen on her Instagram, but she thought he wouldn’t have been quite right for us. A couple of days later she messaged about a new dog that had arrived, Daisy, who she thought would be a great match (it was reassuring to know how much thought they give to matching dogs and families).
Eve was fantastic and did a cat test for us and sent some videos and we could see how gentle Daisy was! So we decided Daisy was for us and we soon had a virtual home check with Holly, who gave us loads of information about adopting a dog from abroad. Eve also sent lots of resources for us to read through before Daisy came home and was always available to answer any questions we had.
When the day of her arrival came, we were really nervous! But as soon as we saw her she came straight to us and gave me a good lick on the hand and slept with her head on my knee the whole way home!
Daisy has been the best thing to happen to us! She gets us up and out everyday, she makes us laugh a lot with her weird personality traits (like goofily running around the house with a squeaky banana or broccoli) and is always making new friends (people and dogs!). Both our cats eventually accepted her and love her now!
There have been some challenges, like with any new dog (adopted as an adult or a new puppy), as they all have their own personalities, histories and traits. The first week or so Daisy couldn’t be left alone, so my husband slept downstairs with her for a week. We then went to the Peak District for a few nights with her (which was stressful with a brand new dog, but an already planned trip with family!) where she stayed in the room with us overnight. For some reason that did the trick, and she slept well on her own after that. Her walking on the lead wasn’t great as she was too over excited every time she saw a dog or a person. The biggest challenge was isolation anxiety (being left in the house on her own - she wasn’t stressed by being separated from us particularly, just the being alone).
We asked for some help from Underdog with a behaviourist recommendation and they suggest Alex (Wolfgang’s Way) and we worked with her virtually on a plan for Daisy’s walking, recall and isolation anxiety. Daisy got much better on the lead really quickly with Alex’s plan and tips! Her recall and isolation issues are much more difficult issues and take a long time and commitment to training to get to grips with! She is now much better with both but not perfect, but they are things we will always work on and keep training.
Adopting Daisy is the best thing we’ve ever done! She’s such a funny and gentle dog and the thought of her in a shelter is really sad as she loves company and home comforts. I wish we could adopt more as I’m sure there are loads of other amazing dogs abroad waiting to find the right home!
If you choose to adopt a dog from abroad, please be patient with them! They may not be the perfect dog you were hoping for straight away, but you have to give them time to settle and their true personalities come out. Always be prepared that you’ve got to train them and working with a behaviourist will really help! It’s a long term commitment that can be difficult and stressful, but the rewards and fun that come with it make it completely worthwhile. Daisy has been home for nearly two years now and we wouldn’t change a thing!