My name is: Maya
I came from: Cyprus 
Now I live in: West Coast of Scotland 
My favourite things are: learning new tricks, any form of food, playing with other dogs, chasing balls (rarely returning them) and cuddles on the sofa

Maya’s story

My fiancée and I had always dreamed of having our own dog, but as we were in a flat at the time, we struggled to get anywhere with rescue charities in the UK. We lived an active life though and knew that we could give a dog a good home. I came across Underdog International online and found out that they were more interested in the kind of life that we could provide a dog, than the building in which we lived. 

We actually applied to adopt a different dog at first, but Eve came back to us and suggested that the dog was perhaps not suited to flat life in the city. I really respected her for saying that. She suggested Maya instead and as soon as I saw her ginormous ears, big snout and intelligent eyes I knew she was the dog for us. I had a German Shepherd growing up so knew the breed and all the positive traits they can have. 

Maya is goofy, confident, friendly, hilarious, loving and fun. Nearly a year on from her arriving in the UK and she is settled perfectly in our new house, out of the city and with her own garden. She comes on campervan trips, goes out with us on the bikes, hikes up munros (mountains!) and has even been for a couple of outings in our canoe (not quite sure on that one yet). She has a dog walker who walks her once a week so she can have quality time with her local doggy friends. He now uses Maya as a social and happy dog to walk with others! Maya is really smart and loves to learn - she was an absolute breeze to train and mastered basic commands straight away. She loves learning tricks and will ultimately do anything you ask of her if it results in cheese.

The first few months were not without their challenges so I would definitely advise people only to adopt if you are willing to be patient and put in the work. We ended up seeking the advice of a behaviourist as Maya displayed some territorial behaviour in the flat. By the end of the three month programme, Maya was a much happier dog and no longer exhibiting the behaviour. We were also a lot more confident in what we were doing so I am so pleased we asked for help.  Everything we did and all the work we put in over the first little while was absolutely worth it and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Maya is an absolute joy of a dog, we genuinely don’t have any problems with her now, and we feel so lucky to have her in our lives. 

- Kirsty