The joy of rescuing Lucy (formerly Yeppi).
Adopting Lucy from DMT Dachshunds was one of the best decisions we’ve made. I just loved her little face in the pictures and thought we could give her a wonderful life. She flew in from Korea and we collected her from DEFRA in Amersham on Friday 29th October. We prepared ourselves to meet a frightened little girl who had been abused, had no experience of being in a home or living peacefully with 3 other dogs. We were wrong. She couldn’t wait to get out of her crate, tore round the house and garden like a whirling dervish, galloped up and down the stairs, rooted out toys I’d hidden to avoid problems and made herself right at home within no time at all. Our 3 existing dogs were pretty shell shocked!! It took longer for them to accept her than for her to firmly plant her paws under the table. That took precisely 5 minutes. After 48 hours it was as though she’d always been here.
As she was already over 8 and had spent her life in a breeding facility, we thought she would be terrified of people and wouldn’t want to interact with us. She’s actually a very happy and confident girl and couldn’t be more loving. Since she arrived she has been super glued to my side – private loo visits are definitely a thing of the past!!
There was also no chance of her sleeping in her dog bed. Our dogs sleep with us in our bed and she was determined to join them immediately. Otto wasn’t happy the first night but, by the second, he was fully accepting and happy to snuggle with her. Our biggest concern was how Elsa, our 4 year old mini daxie (and leader of the pack), would take to the presence of a new dog in the house. Unbelievably, she was obsessed with Lucy from the get go. They are the best of friends and every morning have great wrestling matches on the bed. These are always instigated by Lucy who barks and whines until Elsa wakes up and starts to play. Otto tries to join in but they’re not that keen to let a big, smelly boy participate.
She turns her nose up at dog food but completely adores chicken, roast beef, hamburgers and treats of any kind. They disappear in a nanosecond. We luckily don’t have any food issues at meal times but woe betide the others if they try to stick their heads in her bowl. She’s also absolutely fascinated by food preparation and will spend hours in the kitchen watching us cook.
She’s brilliant on walks and, although we were a little concerned about letting her off the lead, she’s proved herself to be a very good girl and always comes back when called - especially when there’s a treat on offer. When she’s tearing across the field with her huge lug flaps flying it’s truly a sight to behold.
Our floors will never recover from the onslaught of poop and wee since she arrived but that’s a small price to pay for the love, loyalty and fun she’s given us already. She does love to bark, very loudly, and terrorising postmen and delivery drivers is her favourite sport.
For a dog we’d never met or seen until we brought her home, she’s just been the best addition to our family. This is our experience and it may not be so easy with all the pups they rescue. They are all different and may be traumatised by their experiences. Be patient and I’m sure they’ll soon slot right in.
All I can say is : prepare for the worst, hope for the best and be thankful that you were chosen to give a beautiful rescue dog a happy and secure future. We definitely are.
