An honest review of taking on a rescue dog

It’s 3 whole years in January since we adopted Maggie. I post about our girlie a lot. She changed our lives in ways we couldn’t imagine. But has it all been easy? Of course not! 

We adopted Maggie from Cardiff dogs home. We were really focused on adopting a dog rather than buying a puppy for a few reasons: 

• our business although very dog friendly wouldn’t really be the right environment for a puppy, and we wanted the dog we got to be able to enjoy all the benefits of us being out with dogs every day 

• Over the years, running Oh Doggo we’d meet so many wonderful rescue dogs, and we’d seen first-hand how their life had been improved by their fantastic owners. It felt like a tough but rewarding journey and we loved the idea of that challenge 

• We were willing to wait for the right dog. We didn’t need or want a dog right away, and we were happy to wait for a dog that would thrive in our environment. 

• We loved the idea of adopting rather than shopping for a dog. So many dogs are given up, abandoned or dumped every year and rescue centres are under more and more pressure to find homes for lots of different dogs. We really wanted to be a part of giving a dog a second chance. 

• Rescue dogs get a bad rep, and we wanted to do our part to dismiss claims that all rescue dogs are ‘damaged’ or difficult to own. Some certainly do need extra support, but most just need a loving home and time. 

Maggie the day we brought her home

Full disclosure, Maggie then known as ‘Star’ wasn’t our first pick. They say rescue dogs find you rather than the other way round and I certainly feel that way about our Mags. In November of 2022 we put in an application for another sighthound that got rejected. The particular dog we looked at had an incredible amount of applications, and I suppose that is definitely one thing you have to be prepared for with the application process for a rescue dog. You will likely have set backs, you may be rejected. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep going, particularly as if you like a particular breed, a rescue centre will likely have several more of that breed up for adoption.  

In late December we contacted the dogs home again about a few more sighthounds that were available for adoption, we also spoke to a few people who had successfully rescued dogs, and they suggested we pop down and see if we could walk any of the dogs we were interested in, and that’s exactly what we did.

Early January 2023 Tom managed to get us an appointment to walk one of the dogs that was available and that dog was Star. Pretty much immediately, we knew she was the girl for us. She leaned against me instantly, she was calm (that statement feels VERY funny now!) definitely nervous, but you could tell she just needed a bit of encouragement, and she was quite happy in the company of other dogs. The next day, we went back to the dogs home, did some 1 to 1 off lead time with her in their enclosed outdoor area, and everyone was happy for us to take her home a few days after. Incredible!

The day we took her home was very special, all the volunteers that walked her came to say goodbye, it was clear she was so loved, and a true testament to the wonderful work that Cardiff dogs home do. They take great care with each and every dog there, and they want the best outcomes for them. Star’s name became Maggie on all her paperwork, she was transferred over to our care and we were given information to update her microchip. She’d had all her vaccines, and she’d been neutered. She’d also had dental work before we picked her up (poor girl has no teeth!) and I paid a grand total of £180. Bargain!

Picking Maggie up - she just about managed to get in the back seat of our car

Now the fun part. Getting the girl home! I should probably explain a bit about Maggie’s background because this always informs the challenges any dog has. Maggie is an ex-racer, but she was dumped, as unfortunately many Greyhounds are. She was picked up as a stray around the Gabalfa area of the A48. Maggie was desperately underweight, she had reoccurring issues with worms, and her teeth were completely rotten. We don’t know how long she was a stray for, but given her condition, it may well have been for sometime. I also have my suspicions that Maggie never lived in a house before meeting us, so as you can imagine, the whole thing was very big and new!

Her first look around our house - poor girlie was skin and bone.

Once we did get Maggie home, we immediately registered her with the vet and booked her in for a check-up (I would absolutely advise everyone who’s getting any dog, rescue or puppy from breeder, do this.) We then took our time getting her settled indoors. We live in a town house and I’m not sure Maggie had met stairs before so that was a challenge that took up a good chunk of the first day! We also made sure she was used to her space in our house, and set a routine for feeding her. I’d read that you needed to give rescue dogs about 3 weeks to begin to settle in a new home, and that is absolutely true, you need to give them a good chunk of time, and be present if possible to give them encouragement. Maggie was approximately 6 years old when we rescued her, but she needed toilet training, she needed to get used to us and her ‘safe’ spaces, and we learnt that she is incredibly food orientated (that feels obvious now, she probably didn’t know where her next meal was coming from) and we had to spend roughly 3 weeks getting her used to her feeding routine.   

When we took her to her vet check-up we found out she was 18kg and she should have been between 25kg – 30 kg (YIKES) she also needed probiotics, and a de-wormer. It feels like a lot in the first few weeks and we really did feel like we were taking one step forward and two steps back sometimes, but my advice would always be to stick with it. Dogs are really resilient and once they feel safe in their routine things do start getting better.

Once Mags was settled, we started to take her out on group walks with the other dogs. When I look back it was wild how timid she was. She didn’t play, she didn’t wag her tail, she stuck to us like glue. But again, all she needed was time. It took her a few weeks but she found her zooming legs. She remembered how to play with other dogs. She got cheeky! I realised towards the end of February when she was zooming around the Old Harbour as if she always had been that she was finding herself. And that made me so Happy!

Mags happy place became the beach

Now, I’m not going to sugar coat it. The first few weeks/months of having a rescue dog is HARD. There are genuinely times when I think about when I had my baby and I was in the deep end of dealing with a new born, and I think there were parts of bringing Maggie home that might have been harder. There are absolutely things thrown at you that you don’t expect. You have to spend time getting to know them. And you have to do it while juggling everything else, because no one gives you extended periods of time off to look after a dog. It’s very important that you prepare for having a rescue dog, and that does mean taking some sacrifices to make sure they settle in. But I promise it pays off.

I think it’s also worth noting that just like any dog that’s learnt something, rescue dogs might have previous behaviours that just stick. Maggie is relentless about food. She’s learnt well not to beg for our food and I’m really proud of her for that, but she will always be on me when it’s her breakfast or dinner time, because she’s anxious about getting fed, which is understandable. You have to sometimes lean into their quirks. But honestly, puppies are quirky too, there’s no one size fits all with dogs, just like people!

A food pest

For all the difficulties, I feel like getting a rescue dog was one of the loveliest things me and Tom have ever done. And if you’re reading this, you might be thinking about getting a dog. If you are, and you are able to give it the time it takes, please consider adopting a dog. There are so many dogs available in rescue centres, even puppies! Rescue centres are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable places too, so if you’re unsure about what breed would suit you or your family, they’ll be happy to show you dogs that might suit your lifestyle.

As for Maggie now? Well, she’s settled in to our home like it’s always been her home. She loves a sofa, is the sassiest girlie on her group walks, loves to zoom and I no longer need to set an alarm because she will absolutely let me know when it is 6am. Maggie is proof that time heals things. Since rescuing her, she’s gained almost 10kg, had a few more teeth out, and is in brilliant shape considering how she was spending life a few years ago. She’s also adapted so well to a life living with a baby and for that I am so thankful. Our hard work paid off and it feels lovely to know we’re giving her a much better life than she had.

A sassy lady with all her mates

Think you might want to rescue a dog? I will never say it’s easy, but I will always say Maggie has made our lives so much richer. Its been so rewarding seeing her come back to life, and I think that’s such a gift, so I will always shamelessly advocate for it.

Thanks for picking us Mags! We love you!

Emma x