20th May was National Dog Rescue Day. During the month of May, we have been sharing Second Chance stories. Today Nora’s story as told by Donella Torcassi.
I am a 26-year-old budding lawyer living in London. However, when I got my rescue dog, Nora, I was only 22, a student, single, and living in a shared flat in central London. Everyone I spoke to thought I was crazy – was I really ready for the responsibility of having my own dog? And a puppy, no less? My answer was firmly yes (don’t get me wrong, it’s not for everybody, but I had been thinking about it for years, was fully aware of the level of responsibility and sacrifice it was going to take) and I have not regretted any single second of it. Actually, it scares me how close I was to not doing it, as that would have been the worst decision possible! I also ended up making several close friends with dogs, also students, also living in apartments, which was an unexpected delight.
My rescue dog’s name is Nora. I did a WisdomPanel DNA test on her (we actually started a betting pool on her top 3 breeds with all of her dog park friends), and found how she is 27 different breeds. I have yet to meet another dog who can top that (consider that a challenge issued!).
Nora came to me when she was only 4 months old, and she was the happiest, most confident little dog I’ve ever seen, despite her background. Her mother was someone’s pet dog, who had not been spayed, and became pregnant. The owner did not want to care for the puppies, so Nora and her siblings were *literally* thrown in the trash as soon as they were born. Luckily (for everyone involved!), a kind passer-by took them in, and found a place for them at Wagging Tails Family in Skopje, North Macedonia.
What made you decide to rescue?
I was desperate to rescue – I always knew that was what I wanted to do. All my families’ animals growing up were rescues, and I have travelled enough outside of Western Europe to know the reality for far too many street dogs. The practicalities of rescuing, however, were far from straightforward due to my age, and student/apartment-dweller status. I tried for a very long time to apply for dogs via the Dogs Trust/Battersea route, but was always ignored. For a while I was considering adopting a dog from PreLoved or something like that, but that was before I discovered the joys of rescuing from abroad.
How did you choose your rescue dog?
Honestly, it is mostly luck that I rescued my alter ego in a dog. I had two criteria when looking:
1. I wanted a dog who would be small enough to fly in the cabin with me (under 8kg including a carrier), as my parents live in Italy and I wanted to be able to take my dog with me; and
2. I wanted a female dog. I had always had female dogs growing up and just felt it was a better fit for me. I did not particularly care about looks/breed/age! I spotted Nora and her brother on a post on Facebook when they were only a few weeks old, and could see she would be a small-ish size. The rescue took care to tell me that they couldn’t guarantee her future size, but I decided to go for it. She was not the most attractive puppy, so I did not know that she would grow up to be such a stunner. But then again, I am biased.
Tell us about the rescue/shelter you adopted from.
Wagging Tails Family is a small, family run shelter in Skopje, North Macedonia. They have extremely limited resources, and dedicate all their time to doing their very best by the dogs. Nora’s health and happiness from the moment she got off the Happy Bus is a testament to the love and safety they provided to her in the first few months of her life. My partner’s parents also adopted from them about 6 months ago – and my goodness, their new dog is even happier and more confident than Nora, if that is possible!
How easy was it to get your rescue to the UK?
The whole adoption process from beginning to end (and I have now done it twice, as I did it for my partner’s parents too) was easier than you could ever imagine.
Step 1: spot a dog on Facebook that suits your requirements/pulls on your heartstrings (if the only criteria was the latter one then I’d have hundreds of dogs).
Step 2: reach out to the rescue via Messenger and enquire about the dog (are they still available? Are they cat friendly? Is there anything else we should know?).
Step 3: Have a quick (video) chat with the rescue about who you are, and what kind of life you can give the dog, sometimes accompanied by a house tour.
Step 4: Put down a deposit to cover all vaccines/food for your new dog! Step 5: Choose a name and wait for the shelter to arrange transport.
Step 5: Pay for the travel (all together I paid around 600 pounds each time – compare that to buying a purebred puppy!).
Step 6: open your front door and welcome your newest addition.
What did you think about rescues before adopting?
I think I had two basic misconceptions before I adopted.
The first one was about the behavioural risk. We’ve all heard the stories. The aggressive rescue dog. The traumatised rescue dog. The terrified one. While I was determined to get a rescue, I was aware of these legends somewhere in the back of my mind. However, after rescuing (and meeting lots of other rescue dogs), I can honestly say that the rumours are overhyped. Nearly every dog I have met has been kind, sweet, loving, trusting, playful, and obedient. I think it’s important to remember that often it’s only the outlier situations that get reported on or shared between friends, which means they are often the only stories we hear, which can shape our perception of all rescue dogs. No one is gossiping about the perfect family dog who is a rescue, or the perfect travel buddy, or the perfect apartment dog. Let’s talk more about them!
The second misconception I had was around the availability – or lack thereof – of rescue dogs in the UK. I thought that because Battersea wouldn’t consider me, that it meant that there was not much need for adopters in the UK. I could not have been more wrong! There are around 21 healthy stray dogs euthanised A DAY in the UK. Think about that… think about all of the dogs who could be saved if people considered adopting before buying from a breeder. The infrastructure is more or less in place (as in there are many, many shelters in the UK who take these dogs in), but as they have relatively low turnover, they cannot rescue as many dogs as they would like. And that is just in the UK – don’t even get me started on those in Europe (or farther afield still).
What do you think about rescues after adopting?
It is true what they say, rescues do do it best. Rescues in general are lovely, funny, quirky, healthy dogs. Why opt for the cava-cocker-poo-chon that everyone else has when you can have a truly special, unique dog whose world revolves around you because you saved them? There is no better feeling than looking at your rescue dog enjoying life and knowing what could have been for them had you not intervened. I am grateful everyday to have been able to give this life to my dog.
What is your message to anyone who is thinking of getting a rescue?
Definitely do it. Don’t necessarily jump in blindly – like all dogs, rescue dogs come in allll sorts of varieties. While yes, some are traumatised, there are so many that would be an ideal fit for you, whatever your situation. I always say “there’s a rescue dog for that,” meaning, you want a purebred puppy? An older, toilet trained dog who is good with kids? An active dog to take on adventures? A hypoallergenic, cat friendly dog who speaks French? There is a rescue dog for that!
Also, make sure to ask yourself what it is you are really looking for, and to be honest with rescue organisations about that. You’ll be surprised by their honesty – responsible shelters are not looking to re-home dogs into unsuitable households, they are looking for a dog’s perfect match, because they love their dogs and want them to thrive.
What have you learnt from rescuing your dog? Things about yourself? Has it changed your perspective about rescue dogs?
What haven’t I learned. In many, many ways it feels like my life (or at least, my adult life) started when Nora came into the picture (OK, yes, I am obsessed, but can you blame me?). She has been by my side for everything, and we have completely grown up together. She is my best friend, and through her I have learned patience, humility, humour, a deep love for us as a unit – I don’t take care of her, we take care of each other – and a deep respect for her resilience and positive outlook. Nothing brings me as much pride, love, or satisfaction as seeing her thrive, and I genuinely think that a large factor of this is her background.
What are your favourite things to do in London with your rescue dog?
Nora is the QUEEN of central London living, having grown up in Covent Garden. She loves the buzz and business and has a distinct pep in her step when she is in the city compared to when she is in the countryside. Her favourite activities are definitely walk-related, whether it be walking to Hyde Park through St James’ and Green Park, or exploring Hampstead Heath, or getting into mischief off-leash on the Southbank. She also enjoys people watching at cafes, and hopping onto a train on the weekends to go explore the countryside or go to the beach. Her absolute favourite thing as a puppy, though, and the only way we both stayed sane through her puppy-hood in a city, was the puppy group we joined in the nearest park to us, which met every weekday at lunchtime. Nora and I made (dog and human) friends for life, and it offered her the opportunity to socialise and and play and run around like crazy, which offered me the opportunity to have a peaceful afternoon while she slept! I 100% recommend joining or starting one near you, you’d be surprised just how many people (and their pups) are looking for just that.
Thank you, Donella for sharing Nora’s story.
We met Donella and Nora 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 900 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.
