My name is: Peggy
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: Exmouth, Devon
My favourite things are: The beach, my doggy friends, chasing seagulls, sofa snuggles, singing very loudly (usually first thing in the morning), long runs with my dad, holidays, food!
Follow me on Instagram: @peggytheunderdog

Peggy’s story

When we lost our 16 year old dog Zippy in early 2021, we couldn't comprehend the thought of replacing him. But life felt very empty and as the months passed we started to talk about the possibility of another dog, hopefully a rescue. When we came across Underdog International and clicked on the adoption page - Peggy’s photo, along with her story of being given up as an unwanted litter of pups, immediately stood out.

We filled out the application, trying not to get excited as we thought she'd have lots of interest. We couldn’t quite believe it when Eve replied the next day to say we were the first choice! The next step was a Zoom homecheck with our children, then aged ten and five. We were quite nervous but lovely Holly put us at ease and it went really well.

Before we knew it we had a date for Peggy to fly from Cyprus to the Netherlands, followed by an epic road trip via the Eurotunnel to the UK. She was travelling with about 40 other rescues, including her three siblings who also had homes lined up in the UK. When we first met Peggy at Exeter services she was very scared (and pretty smelly after 14 hours in a van!) but we instantly fell in love. Back home she had a good sniff around the garden, although she was still very nervous and hid behind the sofa. Eventually she ventured out and fell asleep on the rug with both children curled up beside her.

Peggy soon settled in at home (quickly claiming the sofa!) but she was very anxious venturing outside at first; jumpy near busy roads and shying away from things like prams and bikes. Meeting new people and strange noises would also spook her. We worked on desensitising her over those first few weeks and she slowly began to relax and embrace her new life.

About a month after arriving she even got to meet up with her brother, when his owner Freya visited Exmouth. Peggy and Percy had the best time tearing around on the beach together. We’ve kept in touch with Freya and her partner and met up again since - this time it was over a year since the dogs had last seen each other, but it was like they’d never been apart!

We were a little worried that we would struggle to adjust to a new dog after losing Zippy. But Peggy has been the best therapy for all of us. Breed-wise she’s completely different and has never felt like a replacement. However, there are some similar aspects to their personalities and we often joke that he sent her to us. Our daughter Eden formed an immediate connection with Peggy whereas our son Ivan was a little more apprehensive early on (he was quite little and she was VERY bouncy), however, as they've both grown they've developed a deep bond which has been lovely to watch.

We're a very outdoorsy family and Peggy has fitted in perfectly. She’s the ultimate adventure dog - we regularly go away camping and exploring in our van around Devon and Cornwall, and she even joined Jim on a surf trip to the Scottish Hebrides. Last year she discovered how much she loved snow when she came with us in our campervan to the French Alps. When at home she loves nothing more than going for a run with Jim across the cliffs or on the common. And of course we’re lucky to live close to a beautiful beach, where she’d happily spend hours chasing seagulls!

We took Peggy to dog training classes when she was still quite young and worked hard on training using positive reinforcement methods, which has paid off. We know that we're really lucky as she has an amazing temperament, with little to no reactivity issues. That's not to say she's 100% perfect - at times she pulls on the lead, especially when she gets a scent (typical hound), she still has a tendency to jump up at people she knows (this is slowly getting better) and she is completely food obsessed... but on the plus side this has helped with training!

We can’t imagine not having Peggy in our lives, from her loud ‘singing’ greeting each morning to squeezing herself between us on the sofa every night. We’re so glad we adopted through Underdog - it's like being part of a special family and it’s amazing to know that support is there if you ever need it. We honestly feel like we won the dog lottery and will always be grateful to Eve and Holly for letting us adopt Peggy and give her the life she deserves.

- Sarah & Jim