My name is: Marco
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: Liverpool
My favourite things are: Playing fetch with my Scooby Doo ball, going to work each day to see my doggy and human friends, and I love nothing better than going adventuring at the weekends and holidays up into the hills of the Lakes and Peak district

Marco’s story

Unfortunately the start of this story is a sad start. Our previous dog Missy passed away in 2018 after joining our family at just eight weeks old and giving us 13 years of joy and memories. This left a massive hole in our family and for the next two years we went to and fro about getting another dog. Finally in 2020 we started contacting our local rescue centres but had no luck. It was then we were introduced to Underdog by one of my bosses , who fosters dogs for them on their way to their forever homes. This started the journey of finding a dog to compliment our family.

Contact was made, forms were filled, interviews had and finally we got the thumbs up to let us know the dog we had chosen could be ours. Now it was a case of waiting for the day Marco would arrive. This consisted of a meet up at a services at 10pm on a September Sunday night.
After what seemed like forever waiting with an excited boy, the van pulled in and we collected a very tired little puppy. We said our hellos and had our cuddles then headed home.
I took two weeks off work to help him settle in at home with a quick visit to my workplace for a quick introduction to both humans and dogs as Marco would be coming into work with me on a daily basis.
Marco settled in really well. We used a crate for sleeping in at night to start with, and for the first two nights we did have some whining at bedtime, but he soon settled in and was happy to go in at night or during the day for a nap. He seemed quite well house trained at first using the puppy pads we put down, although occasionally missing them! As part of his training we would sometimes leave him home alone for a short time and although we tried to puppy proof everything, he always managed to find some cardboard to have a chew on, tissue boxes (but left the tissues alone), birthday cards and letters.

Another thing we did when leaving him alone was leaving the radio on and making sure he had toys. We did have a treat ball but had to stop that as we came home one day to find the treat ball behind the TV stand and the TV on the floor with a hole in it where it had hit the stand on its way down. Needless to say we didn't leave him with the treat ball again......ooooopps.
Marco has taken well to our adventuring where we go off into the hills with a bit of scrambling over rocks on the way up. He loves nothing more than chasing his human brother all over, but we do have to watch out for sheep though as he does like a game of chase. He enjoys our camping holidays or nights out in the van but does take himself to bed when the camp fire is lit....
Marco goes to work daily where he is spoilt rotten and knows who has what treats - it’s more like doggy day care for him as he has lots of other dogs to play with. But he does have a special friend, Molly a chocolate lab, who he has sleepovers with occasionally, both home and away.
After nearly two years with him now, he has settled in so well and it was definitely the right decision we made. It hasn't always been plain sailing, especially when he chooses not to listen but the good times definitely outweigh the naughty moments and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Our overall experience with Underdog has been very positive. We were updated regularly from start to finish and we also had the choice to delay getting Marco when he became ill just before he was due to travel. We still went ahead as planned and he arrived with all the medication he needed, and we were also contacted the next day to make sure we had it. We are still contacted from time to time to see how things are going. If you are looking for a dog yourself I would highly recommend rescuing through Underdog.

- Charlie & Natalie