Our Newest Family Member

So, we’ve been wanting a dog for a while, but circumstances have made it difficult to get one:

- Our building won’t allow one.
- We moved countries.

It wasn’t until three months ago when we decided to be more determined to get one.

Why not a puppy?

Well, we’re both working full-time, and he’s never had a dog before. (So potty training, obedience training…all things we didn’t want to deal with.)

Also, my first dog was a rescue and there is something nice about giving a dog a second chance.

So, with all of the unwanted dogs in London, wouldn’t it be easy to get one?

Uh, no. I learned a few things about the British English language during this experience, and one of the words is “unsuitable”. As in…

- “Well, your living arrangements are unsuitable for the dog.”
- “The dog’s temperament is unsuitable for your household.”
- “Your lifestyle is unsuitable for the dog’s needs.”

After going through 3 rehoming centers, I felt that that we were jumping through more hoops than it takes to have a child.

Nonetheless, after roughly a month of going out to rehoming centers every weekend and endless follow-up phone calls, we found Soy Sauce. She is a retired greyhound.

This is her during her first days.

Needless to say within the first few days with us, she had thrown up in the car, pee'd on the carpet in several rooms on several occasions, poo'd on the carpet in several rooms on several occasions, and refused to go outside (which may have contributed to the previous problems.)

We got her a behaviorist, and we’re still working on getting up her confidence so she can have a dog walker take her in the afternoons to play with other dogs.

It hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it.

Look out for upcoming posts with topics like…

- What should I know about adopting a dog in London?
- Where can I go to for help about greyhounds?
- What should I feed my greyhound?