My name is: Frodo
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: Northamptonshire
My favourite things are: My blanket and my stuffed Mallard - I won’t sleep without it by my side!

Frodo’s story

When we made the decision to take a dog into our family, I was certain that it was to be a rescue dog having followed social media posts from rescue animal charities who had so many animals needing homes. A friend had adopted a beautiful beagle with Underdog International, and I had loved seeing and learning about her journey, so in December 2020 when the cute little face of Frodo appeared on the adoption list, we applied to adopt him. He was 4 months old and ready to make the journey from Cyprus to the UK just as soon as the next flights could be confirmed.

I have to admit that I had reservations, Frodo was a ‘mixed hound’ and the breed was uncommon and unfamiliar to me but his profile described a fun, friendly and loving pup who (with support and help) would be the perfect family pet and companion for our young daughter. Many friends had commented that the negative point about adopting a dog is that you miss out on their early months, seeing them grow and develop and they expected that it could be difficult to train and develop the dog who could already be set is his ways. I learned that this couldn’t be further from reality!

Frodo arrived in the UK after a long 24 hours of flights and van transport in February 2021, by which time he was 6 months old. I remember expecting a crazy, excited, skittish young pup and had thought about how we could contain him in the car and how we would keep him calm and safe in those early days. The little chap we collected was still and quiet, frightened, cold, and tired. We took it in turns to gently hug him and offer him food, and we immediately fell deeply in love with him. He was so gentle and so sweet.

Those first few days were quite intense as we had to be 100% dedicated to his needs. We had received lots of advice and support from Underdog to help us quickly make progress with the basics of toilet training, feeding, behaviour and introducing new things and new people to Frodo at a pace he was comfortable with. We carefully followed the advice we were given, and within a week or two Frodo was doing an amazing job of adapting to our home. The part I remember about that time above all else is the absolute joy we felt as he started to find his confidence, and his puppy spirit. The first time he started throwing his new toy around, the way he snuggled into his new cosy bed, how he curled into his blanket and slept soundly, learning that it was ok if he didn’t want to eat all of his breakfast in one go, it would still be there for him later. There were so many ‘firsts’ for Frodo and each one was celebrated so he could quickly learn that he was doing well. Frodo has always loved a celebration and has continued to respond just as positively to a cheer and a cuddle as he does a tasty treat or reward.

Frodo is 14 months old now, and he is a unique and amazing boy. He makes us laugh out loud every day; he is quite little for his ‘medium size breed’ but his personality is huge! His different facial expressions speak a thousand words, you can literally tell what he is thinking and what he is planning. He is a little bit mischievous at times, I compare a day with Frodo to be very similar to one with a toddler, but mostly he really is the most loving dog I have known. He offers cuddles, he tries to kiss anyone and everyone and is never happier than when he is snuggled close. His recall isn’t great in the sense that when we are out walking, he rarely follows a command to ‘come’ if you want him back by your side, but he will never run away either so I don’t worry that he will get lost. He knows we are his people and he doesn’t ever like to lose sight of us, so we have worked out ways to get him back on his lead when we need to.

Like most things, there is a ‘knack’ to Frodo, and we have all learned how to get the best from him. He does like to be busy for short periods each day, and often spends time at doggy day care where he is the life and soul of the party! The day-care enjoys having him for many reasons, but they observed early on that he has a great ability to read other dogs’ behaviour and therefore is a great companion for all dogs they care for. This is one of the few positive things he learned from his days as a stray and being a small puppy in a rescue centre full of dogs of all shapes and sizes. His day-care use Frodo when trialling other dogs who may want to join their group as they trust that he will always react appropriately to other dogs behaviour and he is a good role model for those who may be shy or overly enthusiastic.

We still have work to do with him - he is very vocal pup which can be comical but he goes through phases where he wants to bark at anything he see’s move outside our window, so we are teaching him that this is pointless effort on his part with varying levels of success.

Our vet is really impressed by Frodo, not having many ‘mixed hounds’ through their door they said he was a rare example and believed him to be a very healthy breed with great bone and muscle structure, weight and size. We recently had a DNA test done so we could better understand his mixed breed and discovered that he is 54% Segugio Italiano and 26% Beagle (the other 20% all manner of interesting hounds mixed in). The DNA results also confirmed he is a very healthy boy, with no known or expected health conditions for the future.

Frodo really has had a positive impact on our family. Our daughter no longer sees herself as the ‘only’ child and we have all had to work hard to integrate him into our family life, supporting his development and training needs as we go. We have had to be less selfish and more active and it has been very good for us. He is very much the fourth member of our family and we can’t imagine life without him.

For anyone thinking about giving a rescue dog a home, I would really recommend that they consider international rescue. Whether you live in a house or a flat, town or city, with children, animals or neither, garden or not – there is a dog that would thrive in your environment and is in dire need of your care. It is hard work, but very rewarding. The team at Underdog will help find a match, will do all the difficult logistics work to bring your dog home, and provide as much support as you need for as long as you need it. You just must be willing to follow their advice and put in the hard work during those first weeks and months. I hope in the future we can adopt another dog, as our journey with Frodo has been amazing and we have loved (almost!) every minute.

- Amanda