My name is: Maggie May
I came from: China
Now I live in: Manchester
My favourite things are: My dad, sitting outside the front door; no matter the weather, to keep an eye on things. Flirting with boys, socks (the smellier the better), and all the food but especially chicken necks
Follow me on Instagram: @maggiemaythechinadog

Maggie’s story

So here is a little about my experience with Underdog and how I came across Maggie. 

I had recently bought my first house and my primary reason for buying was to get a dog. I knew I wanted to rescue, having previously done this before. I followed some rescues on Instagram and initially I saw Eve through Wild at Heart, and then when Underdog started, I followed them as well. I would regularly look on their website at dogs ready for adoption and send pictures to friends of all the ones I fell in love with (so all of them!)  

Last summer I got into a new relationship and spoke a lot about how much I wanted a dog. I had always been around them and life just wasn’t quite the same without. I finally decided to put a request in to adopt without really knowing who I was going to go for. Being an international rescue organisation, I wasn't quite sure of the process. I sent the link to my partner of the dogs who were ready to be adopted and together we just fell in love with Maggie's (then Mango) daft smile. She had been shaved back due to having a skin condition when they found her, but despite her funky haircut you could see her personality shining through in the pictures. 

I found the whole process seamless, the communication from Eve and the whole team was spot on. Leanne did the home check via Whatsapp video and we stayed on the phone for a long time chatting dogs, she did tell me Samoyeds are a chatty breed, she didn't lie! 

At the end of October last year, the dogs set off from China on a Saturday and I picked Maggie up from Knutsford services on Monday morning around 5am. Due to the long travel time and being the last dog dropped off, Maggie was highly stressed by the time we picked her up. She was just terrified, so much so that she was very still. She never the less came very calmly with us and we took her to her new home. She had been one of the more sociable dogs in the shelter so it was a shame that the travel had set her back. However, you could see she had the most beautiful personality straight away and just needed to learn to trust us in her own time. She has never been any trouble at all. 

Over the next weeks/months Maggie started coming out of her shell. She absolutely loves other dogs (she can take or leave humans which is fair) so taking her out to interact really helped her come out of herself. Initially she always had to lie with her back up against something, she was terrified of small people being very loud and the sound of a ball being kicked sent her absolutely scatty. I can only guess that she has been kicked but you never know what other horrors she has endured. She now lies wherever she wants (mostly across the whole bed kicking us out), she’s getting much better around children and doesn't bolt when she hears them anymore. The balls being kicked is still a bit of an issue but I'm sure we will get there. She is the friendliest dog, has absolutely zero aggression issues and I have to say, I think probably the best dog I've ever owned. She just makes everyone fall in love with her who meets her. In fact Maggie is now pretty famous around these parts in the dog walking world I honestly don't remember what life was like before her. 

Adopting a dog hasn't been the easiest route in terms of training and she is very stubborn, another Samoyed trait apparently, but it's been so rewarding. Samoyeds are quite hard to train off lead but she loves running around and has absolutely zero interest in squirrels so this is something we have managed to achieve. I try and talk people into adopting rather than buying puppies at work. My partner is already talking about adopting another Samoyed in the future. I would happily do this through Underdog again. 

Now Maggie is settled her personality really shines through. She loves talking to us (she’s actually noisier than the newborn next door). Rather than all the many toys I've bought her, she loves killing socks, she throws them all over the room to catch them. Although if I could recommend any toy it would be a snuffle mat, this she loves. Maggie loves playing with other dogs and has to say hello to every single one. She especially loves the boys though! She can be so funny on a walk, if she sees a beautiful boy she will flirt all day long with him. She even tries to stop them walking off. She is also very loving, she loves curling up on the sofa with us and getting on the bed for her goodnight fusses. She also loves to wake you up first thing in the morning by jumping on the bed and giving lots of kisses. There are much worse ways to wake up. If she wants your attention she might run off with a slipper. I called her Maggie so I could shout Margaret whenever she was in trouble but she never is. It is impossible to ever get angry or upset with that face!

All in all, I would definitely say she is a success story and she has made my life so much more enjoyable. I can highly recommend adopting through Underdog, they made the process feel easy and still check in on us. If you are on the fence about doing it then I hope this story helps to tip you into adopting from them. 

- Lara