Maija and Lilla (1 year old)
"Lilla is our only pet, but she loves every dog she meets. We DNA tested her and we found out she’s 37% Husky, 25% German Shepherd, 12.5% Spaniel, rest unknown.
Her nicknames are Mouse, Nugget and Bean. She’s like a shadow, following us everywhere - to the kitchen of course, to bed where we all sleep, even to the loo. Go figure. She's so pretty and everyone asks us what’s her breed. A very special Romanian Mutt we say. Rare breed.
She’s so full of love. The first thing I get to see in the morning is a tired dog wagging her tail, crawling close to us for hugs. Her favourite walk is to Battersea Park and she even knows a few tricks. She does: Sit, stay, stop, down, heel (getting there), roll over, bang bang, jump, here, give me a hug, spin, bow, paw, other paw…
I was looking for a black dog (they don't get adopted as much), and thought she might be a GSD mix like my previous dog. She's less black now, but I got the GSD right!
The puppies were found with their mum from an abandoned construction site, and luckily they were all found and rescued.
The adoption process was thorough, as I think it should be. Getting a rescue isn't always the easiest option and I think BMDR makes sure you understand this. There’s a great support network.
The first time we met was unreal! A van dropped her all the way from Romania to us in central London. We were so excited and nervous. She was the cutest stinkiest girl with long legs and pointy ears, we were so in love.
During the first week we did many 'firsts'. First walkie, first visit to the park, first time meeting people. All in her terms, but she was fairly brave. Especially considering our urban location. She loved other dogs and trusted us very quickly. We understood she was shy with strangers. She learned a few commands already during the first week and was very playful.
She settled nicely. Although timid with strangers, she was able to build relationships with people and then grew to trust them. She met lots doggies at the park and loved playing, often being the one making everyone run and have fun.
She was so attached to us that she experienced separation anxiety. It did take time until she was completely okay to leave for hours, but building the time up patiently got us there and so that's no problem now.
Every rescue story is different. There is a huge backup network which support you in all things big and small, so you're not alone - we all have been there. It will be such a fulfilling experience."