My name is: Dobby
I came from: Romania
Now I live in: South London
My favourite things are: Food! Enrichment games with food (especially when I have to sniff them out), other dogs (especially when I find one to do zooms with), sleeping, and cardboard boxes.
Follow me on Instagram: @dobbysdoggiediary

Dobby’s story

My love of dogs began as a young child and has continued to grow the older I've gotten. I started borrowing dogs in 2015 as I wasn't able to have my own and this was around the same time I started to plan owning my own dog one day. I had imagined my dog was going to be a champagne cockapoo puppy called Bailey. I told EVERYONE about Bailey and each dog I borrowed gave me more experience for when he finally arrived. 

In June 2020, I received an email from a yoga teacher whose mailing list I was on, sharing the news that her foster dog from Underdog International had arrived that day. I looked at Underdog International's Instagram page, saw a post about four puppies, scrolled to the second picture and burst into tears! I had no clue what I was doing but I knew I had to follow the feeling so I applied to adopt this gorgeous puppy. After I submitted my application, I worried my answer to the 'why do you want to adopt a dog?' question wasn't good enough.....so I followed it up with a 1000 word email to Eve to explain why I wanted to adopt him....clearly she could see I was dog crazy and that he would be well loved! 

The puppy I enquired about was one of four puppies who became known as the ‘Pride Pups’, and he later got given his temporary adoption name of 'Harvey'. I knew then this was a sign from the Universe that it was meant to be - earlier in the year, I had gone through a bit of a kitchen nightmare with a builder called Harvey, and while some people could have seen this as an omen, I saw it as a beautiful gift and as a reward for everything I'd been through with the kitchen! 

Soon the planning, over thinking and panic started. Was I doing the right thing? What if he had loads of behavioural issues? Would I be able to raise a puppy by myself? What if he couldn't get used to London life? What if it didn't work out and I had to give him back? I did what any normal* person would do (*well....) and I created a spreadsheet with ALL my questions ready for my home check with Leanne. I did everything I could to prepare for his arrival - from buying ALL the things to finding a brilliant Facebook group specifically for Romanian rescues to signing up to an online dog coaching course run by a lady who specialised in Romanian dogs. Once the email from Underdog International arrived and the adoption was confirmed, the first thing I did was to activate his Instagram account to make it official (obviously!) and to tell everyone that I was finally going to get 'Bailey' (not quite the champagne cockapoo I had in mind, but my very own dog who I knew I would love to pieces!)

On August 2nd 2020, I got handed a funny, goofy looking puppy with odd ears and bottom sticky-outy teeth. Was this the same puppy I had applied to adopt? The one on Instagram didn't have these funny looking teeth! Of course it was the same puppy, he just hadn't grown into his teeth yet, and he was perfect just the way he was! Quite soon after he arrived, I realised 'Bailey' really didn't suit him, and he was much more suited to Dobby, given he had a very strong resemblance to Dobby the House Elf when he first arrived. 

To begin with, Dobby was quite scared - it took us three weeks to walk further than just round the block. He was very reactive to every dog we saw and I was worried whether he would be able to get along with dogs ever. He did not handle visitors to the flat well in the beginning, especially if they sat on the sofa (he had a bit of a resource guarding issue with it) and he wasn't good with people in general - he would bark a lot at them if they got too close or if they maintained eye contact for too long. 

Fast forward nine months, and he has grown into quite a confident, handsome boy! We have taken things slowly, partly due to the Covid situation and partly because we were going at our own pace. I knew from a video I received from Underdog International that he was the most fearful pup in the litter, so I educated myself on dog body language and all things to do with Romanian rescues. I also knew from the new Romanian dog adopters course that I did, that it's better to take things slowly with them when they arrive, plus I could tell from his body language and behaviour when we had overdone things. It's been a steep learning curve and I continue to learn from him all the time. Going slowly has been a good thing as it has allowed us to bond, form trust and establish communication. 

Dobby is a really clever pup who LOVES training and has learnt lots of commands - I always feel I should teach him more as he really enjoys it (well, perhaps he just enjoys the treats - he is a MEGA foodie!). He loves playing games that involve food and sniffing and loves the Find It game, as well as enrichment games and free work. Oh and he LOVES a cardboard box! I have quite the collection now which I can't throw away as we use them for enrichment games and free work! He is super chilled at home and sleeps for most of the day, and he is even super considerate and gives me space in the morning when I first wake up to drink my coffee as he takes himself away to the sofa to continue snoozing! He helps me to get lots of sleep by grumbling away at me if we are not in bed by 10pm - he does not like to be kept up late! He now loves saying hi to ALL dogs and is happiest when he finds one to do zoomies with! He also loves squirrels, but isn't a fan of cats or foxes. 

We still have work to do on the people front, although we have made loads of progress on this front as he now barks a lot less at them and can handle eye contact. However, it's definitely Dobby's rules when it comes to people - it's ok for him to come into their space, put his paws on them, lick them etc but if they come into his space or look at him for a bit too long, he won't be shy about telling them he doesn't like it and will bark loudly at them - for a little dog he has a very loud bark! Thankfully though, he doesn't bark too much! He loves a belly rub and cuddle from me, but he hasn't yet let anyone else touch him, but I am sure in time that he will. I have taken him on the tube, bus and train and we even did one trip to the countryside and also a big day out in Richmond Park - to think he wouldn't even walk round the block when he first arrived just shows how far he has come! And, most importantly, he has learnt to pose for photos....I mean, you gotta make a priority list for training and the ability to pose for photos is definitely high up on the 'important life skills' list haha. 

He brings me so much happiness, laughter and joy and I haven't felt lonely since the moment I got him. He makes me want to be the best version of myself so that I can do as much for him as I possibly can as he deserves the best that life can offer him. He really is a gift and I am SO happy he is here sharing my life with me. A HUGE thank you to Eve, Leanne and the rest of the Underdog International team for everything you have done to bring him to me, and all the work you do to rescue dogs and bring them to their new homes and enriching people's (& dogs!) lives as a result - thank you!!! 

- Mimi