My name is: Ziggy
I came from: China
Now I live in: Oxfordshire
My favourite things are: Cuddles on the sofa, peanut butter, stealing clothes off the washing line, being chased by other dogs in the park and winding up my big (little) brother, Turnip.

Ziggy’s story

In December 2019 I was taking part in my favourite pastime (looking at dogs on the internet) when I came across the Underdog International website. All the dogs were so sweet but one in particular made my heart swell, an angelic little pup called Thomas. He had been rescued from the meat trade by the amazing women at Slaughterhouse Survivors Harbin and when I looked into his huge brown eyes, I just wanted to reach through my computer screen and give him a hug. We applied for him straight away and awaited a response.

However, just days later we found that a shelter down the road from us was looking to rehome a crazy little Jack Russell called Turnip. We went to visit him after Christmas and decided to take him home with us. The shelter volunteers told us that due to mistreatment and virtually zero socialisation, Turnip was very reactive and would never be able to live with another dog. However, after months of hard work, training and perseverance, Turnip completely transformed, and we soon found that he LOVED other dogs and in fact bloomed in their company. It was then that I received a link from my mum to a Facebook post by Underdog International explaining that Thomas (the pup who’s photo I had fallen in love with all those months ago) was in the UK and looking for a new home with a resident dog. It’s hard to explain, but sometimes you just get a feeling that something was meant to be.

So, we applied for Thomas again and the adoption process was very easy and friendly thanks to Eve and the fab team at Underdog International. Our home check with Amy was especially helpful, as she gave us lots of advice and tips from her own experience adopting the lovely Eric and she made sure we were feeling confident before moving forward.

On the 28th August 2020, we drove up to Lincolnshire to meet Thomas with Turnip on neutral ground (a local park) and they were besties at first sight! They loved playing together and chased each other in circles around us. Thomas’s previous adopters Robyn and Liam told us they’d never seen him so happy and playful with another dog. I think this meeting made us all feel like we were making the right decision. When we mentioned the possibility of changing his name, Robyn and Liam suggested the name Ziggy and it suited him so well that we decided to go with it.

Ziggy smiled all the way home and since then, he has come on in leaps and bounds in confidence. It hasn’t always been a walk in the park and there have been times where we have felt out of our depth with training two dogs at once, but it’s so worth it to see them both come out of their shells and enjoying their lives as every dog should. Ziggy’s separation anxiety has been our biggest challenge, but we have had plenty of support and advice from the volunteer behaviourists at Underdog and we have definitely seen positive progress!

Ziggy adores Turnip and has really benefited from having another dog to learn from. Their bond is so sweet and watching them cuddle up together on the couch after a long day of adventures just fills my heart with joy. He has also made some really sweet friendships with other dogs in our family like Burtey the Jack Russell who likes to give him kisses and Bramble the black lab (another Underdog) who will happily chase him around in circles at the park.

There is so much to love about Ziggy, from his big goofy smile and the way his entire body wriggles with excitement when we come home, to the way he snores like an old man and looks hungover when he wakes up from a nap. When I think of how Ziggy’s life began and what his fate could have been and then to see him now as a confident, cheeky boy living life to the fullest, it’s hard not to get emotional.

We cannot express how grateful we are to the people at Slaughterhouse Survivors and Underdog International for all the work they do and for saving our sweet boy.

- Elise