My name is: Millie
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: Hertfordshire
My favourite things are: Chasing squirrels and dinner time!

Millie’s story

I adopted from Underdog International in October 2019, this is mine and Millie’s success story.

I stumbled across Underdog International after finding myself down an Instagram rabbit hole, as you do, and after seeing the videos of the amazing work they do I decided I should take the plunge and adopt. I looked through the photos of dogs needing a home and although her photos weren’t the most endearing or make her look the friendliest, her description was of exactly the kind of dog I wanted to join my household, I had found Millie.

A 3.5 yr old collie cross who had been in a shelter in Cyprus for over 2.5 years without a single enquiry!! Why? Apparently black dogs are harder to rehome, ironically, because they don’t photograph well for Instagram so people don’t want them. Nervously we asked for a video of Millie to make sure she was closer to the description than the pictures, and sure enough we received a video of a sweet, affectionate little dog who only wanted to be close to someone. We knew there and then that we wanted to adopt Millie.

What followed was a series of video calls with Underdog to verify our situation, ensure we were able to take care of Millie, and to provide advice about looking after a rescue. These were all really friendly and helpful, providing guidance and telling us what to expect as Millie settled into her new home. Underdog then dealt with all the paperwork and logistics, doggie passport, vet checks, a flight from Cyprus to Brussels and a specialist doggie courier to driver her to the UK.

Once Millie arrived the first few days were an adjustment for all of us, especially Millie who’d flown half-way across Europe to live with some strange humans and a 50kg resident Leonberger called Barli. If I’m honest, the first few days were hard. Millie was unsure of Barli and there were a few growls and snaps. However, it didn’t take long to start seeing little milestones once Millie started to relax and although she was nervous of other dogs she was incredibly affectionate with people.

We took things slowly and walked her on a training lead to build up trust in her recall and now she walks off lead, plays with Barli and loves chasing squirrels! We have taught her basic commands and she goes out on long walks with lots of doggie friends which has really helped with socialisation.

Millie is still affectionate with people and now loves to meet other dogs. When I tell people about how long she was in a shelter they can’t believe it! I don’t think people always realise that these situations exist and that so many us could help if we took the time. We love Millie, she has settled into our family amazingly well considering it has only been a few months and she is now a constant sofa companion who is always looking for a tummy rub.

Adopting a dog can be a scary thought, and it is a big commitment, but if circumstances allow then with a bit of time and patience you can be rewarded with an invaluable gift.

Just look at her now….

- Lizzie