Frankie
Frankie
My name is: Frankie
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: London
My favourite things are: Cuddles, belly rubs, treats and one particular indestructible plastic ball that belongs to Max
Follow me on Instagram: @frankie_the_underdog
Frankie’s story
Frankie’s story actually starts with a little guy called Chico…
I got serious about adopting a dog in 2019, I did a fair bit of research into dog rescues and charities and a friend suggested I follow Underdog. I was just about to hit the button on an adoption form in early 2020 when my landlord said that a clause in the freehold said no pets were allowed.
And well, we all know what happened next. Covid rocked up, and so not being able to have a dog of my own, I volunteered to walk a dog (shout out to Binky, sassbag Maltese) for a local lady who was terminally ill and therefore very high-risk. What started out as me trying to get Binky to walk further than three doors from her own home, turned into myself and Binky’s parents forming a bubble (remember those?!). My landlord ultimately said “just get a dog, Binky’s lived at yours enough and no one minds”, and so the search for a rescue of my own was back on!
I adopted Chico two years ago (September 2021). Somewhat smaller than I expected, Chico rocked up from Cyprus, all loves and licks and fast became my little shadow. Being honest, I was TOTALLY overwhelmed, completely in love and just mildly concerned that I couldn’t go anywhere without this little guy! It became clear pretty quickly that Chico had huge separation anxiety. So we engaged with a behaviourist, we tried everything, but poor Chico just couldn’t be left alone. Usually that wouldn’t be so bad, but living alone, I was Chico’s sole source of attention and having come out of lockdown, being constrained to home wasn’t healthy for either of us.
I kept in touch with Underdog throughout and they were super helpful with support, but nothing seemed to be improving. Eventually I ran a little experiment – using Binky, Facetime and a dogcam! Turns out that Chico was like a different dog when he had a furry friend for company; he just needed some pals. So having kept in touch with Underdog the whole time, updating them on our progress (or lack of) and asking for advice, we all agreed it was best if Chico was rehomed with another dog…and in November Chico went off to a new home with another dog, two house rabbits and three kids under 5!! Loads of pals to keep him company!
Despite being able to leave the house more freely, two months was long enough to build a real bond with Chico that made me feel a) very guilty and b) desperately sad. But ultimately everyone involved had done the right thing for him.
I figured I’d give it a little while before thinking about adopting again but kept following Underdog and contemplating a furry companion. And then in February, Eve reached out to me to say he she had this little guy who she thought would be perfect for me…he could be left on his own and was a real sweetheart with personality. She nailed it. Frankie has been with me ever since.
He is the absolute light of my life and he makes me laugh every single day. Ironically the guy who took him off the van when he arrived in the UK from Cyprus said “Oh this one seems really nervous, so I’ve left him in the crate” – didn’t last long; Frank has been announcing himself to the dogs of Wandsworth parks ever since. The general consensus is, that if Frankie were a person, he’d be an oligarch, demanding the best things in life.
He was hard work out of the house for months, barked at EVERY dog on and off the lead. He was on a training lead for the first twelve months as he just couldn’t approach other dogs gently, like a tiny furry bull in a china shop, he’d dive straight in and usually bork at the dogs who didn’t want to play. Turns out, he’s also a stubborn little thing, so training him into better behaviours felt like it took forever. I honestly felt I’d never be able to let him off the lead – fast forward 18 months however, and he’s an absolute joy to walk. He has tons of dog pals (and owners), loves to run after his ball and do both of the commands he knows to get treats out of literally anyone!
But humans are Frankie’s favourite thing (and food, but mostly humans). He’s always been the biggest snugglebum at home, craves affection from 99% of the people he meets (we can’t like everyone right?), gets jealous when other dogs get more scritches than he does (cue the woo woo’s) and he lives for belly rubs!
I still sometimes feel a pang of guilt over Chico, but I also fully believe that everything worked out for the best in the end. Chico ended up where he was meant to be and ultimately Frankie gets to live out his best life with me and I cannot imagine life without him!
From my experience, my advice for first-time adopters would be:
Check with your landlord if you rent; it’s not fair to you or the dog to go through the adoption process to potentially have to give them up if there’s restrictions you weren’t aware of within your tenancy
If it’s your first dog – volunteering to help locally is a great way to get a feel for what having a dog is like in real life. Failing that, go hang out in your local park and observe different dogs (and their owners) so you know what you’ll be faced with!
It is totally normal to be MASSIVELY overwhelmed if you’re a first time adopter, which it’s why it’s REALLY important to….
Keep in touch with your adoption charity! They want what’s best for your pup, but also for you. It’s not a case of handing a dog over and then never hearing from them again, they’re there to help!
Be prepared to work at it; only your dog knows what he/she has been through, and often enough, stuff presents itself that you could never foresee. It can be tough, but the reward is huge.
Dogs can lead to very wonderful, lifelong friendships – with both dogs and humans (shoutout to Chloe, Stew & Misha – my fellow dog-owning family, community and cheerleaders)
Adopt don’t shop 😊