20th May is National Dog Rescue Day. During the month of May, we will share Second Chance stories. Today is Ava’s story as told by Kate Morris.
We live in West London in a house with a small outside space – more of a patio than a garden. I am a novelist and journalist and work at home. We had two cats when we first adopted Ava, and we now have one. The older cat tolerated Ava. My children were about 12 and 15 when we finally welcomed Ava nine years ago.
Ava is from Cyprus, and looks like their indigenous dog – the Cypriot Poodle, which is really just a general name for the cream-coloured, small, shaggy dogs that live there. We have met her mother, Annie, who looks more Terrier than Poodle. Ava weighs about 7.5 kilos, perfect for a City dog. Someone witnessed Ava and her mother being dumped from a car in Cyprus when she was a puppy. It was in a village called Fikardou, and they were living in the foothills, but quite near a taverna. Luckily they were being fed scraps of food. She was about 2.5 months when she was rescued with her mother.
What made you decide to rescue?
To be honest, it was my daughter who was desperate for a dog, and had been asking us since the age of five. I kept resisting because we had two cats, and I didn’t know much about dogs. However when she was 11, she said her childhood would be ruined without a dog! So dramatic. However, I knew that if we were to get dog, it would have to be a rescue. I have a friend who is a strong advocate for the ‘Adopt don’t shop’ mantra, and I agreed with her. I would rather rescue a dog who desperately needs a home, than spend thousands buying one from a breeder. But I had to think really carefully, as I knew I would be the one to look after a dog.
How did you choose your rescue dog?
Once I knew I wanted a Cypriot Poodle, I looked through the Wild At Heart Dog rescue IG accounts. The Cypress one was managed by Eve Moore who is now head of adoptions at another dog rescue charity, @underdoginternational. I looked for over a year. I wanted a young puppy, and there was something about Ava’s little face in the photo that just melted me. Also I loved the fact that she had been fostered and was living with her mother and some cats and other dogs. She just seemed to have had a good life since she had been found. I wasn’t the only one who wanted her. I nearly lost her, because I was in France and got distracted.
Tell us about the rescue you adopted from.
It was orginally, SPCD (Saving Pound Dogs in Cyprus) who rescued Ava and her mother Annie. A wonderful woman called Katy Stewart, fostered Ava and her mother in Cyprus and spent two months messaging me before the adoption, sending photos, answering all my questions and helping me adjust to the idea of being a dog owner. She carried on helping me by phone and message when Ava came to London.
How easy was it to get your rescue to the UK?
It was really easy. Eve organised everything. We just had to pay about £400+ for her vaccinations and travel. We had instructions on the night, to pick her up in the early hours of the morning from a service station on a motorway, as they were delivering several dogs all over the UK.
What do you think about rescues after adopting?
Obviously all rescue dogs are different, but Ava is the sweetest most adorable dog. Everyone loves her. She is deeply affectionate and just brings us all such joy. I would add that she has always been anxious and does not like to be separated from me. She wants to be by my side at all times. She knows what she wants and would refuse to walk with just anyone. We once had a dog walker but she used to go and hide under the sofa and refuse to come out when she came. She was scared of men when she first arrived. It took my husband a while to gain her trust.
What is your message to anyone who is thinking of getting a rescue?
Absolutely do it. But my message would be the same to any dog-owner: I can’t see how going out to work all day can combine with owning a dog. Dogs need to be around people, and they need to go out morning, lunch time and the afternoon. Or at least morning and afternoon. Dogs are part of the family.
Favourite things to do with our dog in London
Walking in all the parks, particularly Chiswick House and Gardens, Kensington Gardens, Hampstead Heath, Dukes Meadows and Richmond. Ava loves to walk by the river, stop at the boat house near Dukes Meadow, and chase sticks into the water.
Thank you, Kate for sharing Ava’s story.
We met Kate and Ava at our @RescueDogsofLondon meet-ups and it is so wonderful to see the various dogs from all over the world adapting to life in the UK.
Adopt, don’t shop. Over 75% of the world’s 9 million dogs roam the streets. There are animal charities around the world working endlessly to sterilise dogs to help curb the population growth. And there are shelters full to the brim with dogs who need a second chance. Please consider giving one of those stuck in shelters before buying a puppy.
