My name is: Magpie
I came from: Cyprus
Now I live in: East London on the River Lea with my two cat buddies
My favourite things are: Rolling in long grass, sleeping under the duvet at my adopter’s feet, sunbathing, running on wet sand, chewing up soft squeaky toys, chicken feet, grabbing my own lead and taking myself for a walk, stealing other dogs’ balls, and howling at them if they don’t give up their balls or sticks
Follow me on Instagram: magpie_the_staffpointer

Magpie’s story

I had been wanting a dog all my adult life but living in rented, shared accommodation and working long hours, never offered an opportunity for it, especially living without a garden in London. 

Then I moved onto a boat, decided to retrain as an animal osteopath and started working in a doggy daycare. Suddenly, it was the perfect opportunity to get a dog but, having two rescue cats already residing on the boat, it was a barrier as most dogs' homes didn't allow rehoming to homes with cats. 

Then Underdog International came up on my radar, mainly from clients at doggy day care having rescue pups, particularly Boots from Lesbos and Jack from Cyprus, two dogs I cared for and fell in love with immediately. 

I got looking and signed up at Underdog. So many cuties popped up but I knew I had to get a young dog that I could socialise at doggy day care and one that could get used to my cats. I also needed one big enough to be able to hop on and off my boat but small enough to live on a boat! An impossible conundrum...and then Magpie popped up. She was in a foster home in Cyprus with cats, she was still a puppy and she was the last one of her siblings available, on the smaller side of the litter. It seemed too good to be true! Why had she not been picked already? To me, she was beautiful.

I was so happy to be accepted by Underdog as my living arrangements are pretty unconventional! I was over the moon to be able to reserve Magpie. I set up a place for her on the boat with toys, chew sticks and a bed, and I warned doggy day care that I'd have a sidekick with me now.

Then the first lockdown hit and Magpie’s flight was delayed! It felt like an eternity, but was probably only a month, and throughout the time Underdog sent me pictures, footage and regular updates. I was growing more and more excited about meeting my Magpie, but also anxious about the long journey ahead of her and that I was able to give her everything she deserved being a single person living alone, that she'd have enough space, enjoy boat life and my cats wouldn't bully her. 

Eventually she made the long journey and arrived on 6th June 2020 at midnight, having gone via Belgium. I met her off the courier and she greeted me warmly without hesitation, wagging her tail and licking my face. I’ll always remember that special moment. She settled in straight away, chewing her dinosaur toy and not wanting to go to bed yet. We had a little game, I fed her roast chicken and rice and she eventually dozed off. I couldn’t quite take myself to bed yet, however, as I was too besotted so had to look at my new best bud sleep 💤 . When she saw her fellow boat mates, the cats, she instantly wagged her tail and made herself smaller. This was the perfect reaction and I was so pleased that her foster home in Cyprus had taught her so much already.

As soon as she came to George and Friends dog daycare, the other dogs loved her immediately, especially George and Winston, the dogs in residence! Since then she has got to know so many dogs and even met up with her brother, Badger, miraculously adopted opposite dog day care. She continues to be exhausted by the long walks and high energy play of her week days with the other local dogs. On the weekend she often visits her Grandma at the beach and loves nothing more than to run on the wet sand when the tide is out. She won’t quite venture in the water like her doggy relative, Pebble the lab, but she is content to wait for her to come out the sea to steal her ball, her favourite pastime. 

She has had a few one to one sessions with Brian, a brilliant dog trainer, before the group classes reopen again. He has helped me train her to the whistle and her recall is improving nicely. She still likes to grab other dogs long lines on group walks, which on occasions has worked in my favour! But ultimately this is another cheeky habit I am focusing on breaking! Both mine and her learning never stops and always needs attention, as with every young dog. My love for her will also never stop. She is the perfect companion and can’t remember my life without her. Thank you, Underdog.

- Anya