Duke
Duke
My name is: Duke
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: Shropshire
My favourite things are: long countryside walks, snoozing on the sofa, smelly tripe sticks to munch on, and sunbathing!
Duke’s story
For a very long time we had talked about adopting a rescue dog. Some good friends of ours put us in touch with Underdog, and the rest as they say is history.
Duke officially came home to us on the 5th December 2020; we are soon to mark his 18 month anniversary. Looking back, we can’t quite believe where the last 18 months have gone, it really has flown by. It’s like we’ve always had Duke, he is firmly part of our little family.
Adopting Duke through Underdog was a well organised and informative process. From the initial search to find a suitable pup, through to the home consultation and the transportation and collection of Duke, the team kept us well informed throughout and were always on hand with any questions we had.
What struck us initially within the first few days of Duke being with us, was just how accurate his bio was. He absolutely follows his nose and his recall is still a work in progress; it’s definitely the hound in him! He loves walking and has two big walks every day and often on a weekend we are out for hours at a time. The Shropshire countryside is stunning and it’s certainly Duke’s favourite to explore. Whilst Duke is extremely active, he is also a snoozer! They do say, given half the chance, that beagles can be very lazy: he can certainly snore away a good few hours on the sofa cuddled up to us. We couldn’t ask for Duke to have a better temperament, he is just wonderful. He loves being with other dogs and he is very good with people, particularly children. We do have quite a few breaks away in the UK and he has holidayed with us to Cornwall, Wales and York to name a few; he travels really well and isn’t fazed by new environments. We have found the key to this, is keeping him in a routine as much as possible.
The first few months can be challenging, and you do need to be prepared for this as much as possible. We had to do a lot of toilet training with Duke; regular trips outside and lots of treats to reward good behaviour certainly helped. He was also quite fussy with food; it took a while for us to find what worked for him. He slowly started to put weight on, and is now a healthy weight with a gorgeous glossy coat. What was key for us, was trying not to expect too much too soon. Settling in to a new home, a new routine, and getting to know new people is a huge hurdle for rescue dogs. It does take a lot of time, patience and trust.
Duke really has bought so much to our lives. He is a wonderful companion, so loyal and always happy to see you. He is our best bud! We read a quote not that long ago: ‘You can’t change a dog’s past, but you can rewrite their future’. To be able to do just that is the most wonderful and rewarding experience; you will, just as we do, cherish it forever.