2024
Gomez
Underdog of the Year 2024
Gomez arrived at the shelter after being found as a stray by the dog warden. He was terrified, drooling constantly from the stress and trying desperately to back away from anyone who came near. Just days later though, Gomez’s charming personality emerged, but it was still almost a year he spent in the shelter before he found his forever home in the UK. Although it was initially a foster home, we had our suspicions Gomez would be staying!
After a rough year in the shelter, we were saddened when Gomez was later diagnosed with Leishmania quite unexpectedly. His family did heaps of research on how to best support him, and Gomez handled the treatment like an absolute champ. He remained in good spirits and tried his hardest to be his best self throughout, looking out for his brother, taking his medication each day, and continuing to wag his tail at every opportunity. His latest blood tests have now shown that Gomez’s condition is barely detectable now, which just goes to show how Leishmania positive dogs absolutely do deserve a chance.
Molly
Runner up
Molly was rescued from the end of a chain in Bosnia but was sadly surrendered back into our care a year later for lead frustration and poor recall. What we later discovered was that Molly wasn’t being listened to. She’s a grumpy lady who likes to keep herself to herself and prefers to socialise on her own terms (we all know someone like this!). Thankfully, between two of our amazing volunteers we were able to give Molly a long term foster home allowing us to eventually find her the family of her dreams.
Molly also blossomed in a way we couldn’t have expected. She became so much more friendly, relaxed and affectionate, her silly personality emerged, and she looked so much happier. After a couple of false starts, a fantastic couple enquired about Molly, ready to win over our grumpy little lady - and they did! Molly is finally living her best life after waiting 335 days to find them.
Irma
RUNNER UP
Irma arrived in the shelter after she was found abandoned on the streets. She was in a bad way: skinny, starving, and covered in sores. Her tail was raw, and she was covered in scabs, lumps and wounds. Her elbows were scaly from sleeping on hard floors, her eyes were sunken, and her tummy was saggy from however many litters she’d been used to churn out. She would also flinch fearfully if you moved too quickly.
We were pleasantly surprised when Irma’s bloods and biopsies came back negative for any nasties. At the age of ten, Irma was lucky. She’d had a tough life before, but just weeks after she arrived an incredible family offered her a home a far cry from anything she’d known before. Being a senior dog, Irma has had to re-learn everything, and adapting to a companion lifestyle hasn’t been without challenges for both her and her family, but to finally she her happy and thriving, and proving old dogs deserve a second chance too, is everything we could have hoped for.
Wren
Wren was rescued from the cruel meat trade in China, and her poor quality of life had left her with some health complications, including a jaw infection resulting in her losing all her teeth. Although she’s been living her best life since 2021, this gummy little warrior endured a scary experience this year when she was attacked by a goose.
Unfortunately, Wren got a little too close and the goose was so aggressive towards her that she suffered a significant head wound. Her family ran to the car with her bleeding heavily and she went on to have six seizures before she was stabilised. Sadly Wren lost her sight in one eye, as well as her hearing. She’s been a little wonkier since the incident but has recovered slowly and steadily. Whilst she may be small, she sure is mighty!
Bentley
Bentley had a difficult start in Cyprus after suffering a badly broken femur when he was hit by a car, resulting in his previous owners abandoning him at the vets. His leg was fixed back together in multiple places, but unfortunately it failed to heal straight and left him with subsequent problems in his hip, requiring another operation a few months after being adopted in Windsor.
All of this discomfort along with the trials and tribulations of adjusting to a new life was a lot to cope with, and Bentley has struggled with anxiety and reactivity along the way, but he and his adopters have persevered throughout. They’ve never stopped working on his training, alongside his recovery, hydrotherapy and physiotherapy, and together they’ve made the best team.
Chichi
Chichi came into the care of Underdog during the pandemic when, heartbreakingly, her owner went into a care home. She had been utterly adored, but was regrettably under-socialised and what followed was a string of surrenders. Her new homes offered Chichi the world but each time she was let down and put into overwhelming situations. Eventually, we had no choice but to put Chichi into kennels.
A few months later, we were approached by the most lovely family who had seen Chichi’s plight and had been considering offering a home to a dog who hadn’t had the best luck. We were nervous after a number of failed adoptions, but after our first call with Amy and her family, we knew this was Chichi’s forever. Since she was adopted, Chichi is truly a changed dog. She knows she is safe, advocated for, respected and loved. We all lost sleep over Chichi, but seeing her blossom has been the best reward!