We applied to Dachshund Rescue Australia for a friend for our mini anxious boy Ziggy, in the hope a friend would help him feel more secure and happy to be left for an hour or two. We were matched with a gorgeous bonded pair, named Ginger and Jax (now known as Maggie-Mae & Travis Barker…. For obvious reasons!)????????oh my does he bark!! But we love him all the same. Ziggy can be a bit reactive to other dogs, so we were a bit concerned on how he would react to having two new friends! But from the moment they met at the park, we could see this could work for us, so decided to strap them in the car and give it a go, in the hope they all could become best friends.
Neither Travis or Maggie were house trained, nor did they initially know how to play. Ziggy made sure he shared his toys and kept trying to instigate play. Now Ziggy and Travis love playing tug of war and rolling around the floor together. Maggie and Ziggy just bounce around with each other playing like a couple of puppies. All of them love to sleep together too. Toilet training has been a huge task, Fitbit thinks I’ve started a new life & praises me for my weekly steps ???? but now they both know outside is toilet time & inside is cuddle and play space! Maggie was the hardest to train, Travis got it quicker than her and I can honestly say the time spent teaching them new things and snuggling with them both is so rewarding. While I’m in the kitchen the 3 of them queue up for raw veggie snacks, which they absolutely love. Travis is on a diet to reduce his weight a bit and is doing so well. They now enjoy playing, eating, cuddling & sleeping together but most of all each other’s company…..& YES Ziggy’s anxiety is so much better. He’s comfortable if we pop to the shops now and then and not so anxious on our return. We can only see this improving even more as time goes by. We really don’t know what life was like before we adopted Maggie and Travis and looking forward to them living their best lives in the comfort of our home. This was one of our best decisions ever! We would also like to thank Jo for the opportunity!

Alison & Mark Nelson Wellard WA