Written by Estelle Brown
Professional photography by Framed Media
I adopted Dakota from Kitty and Puppy Haven (KPH) on the 15th of April, 2023. I started looking for a new fur baby a few weeks earlier, wanting her to be a playmate for Boone, our 2.5-year-old, high-energy rescue pup whom I’d adopted from Kitty and Puppy Haven in November 2020. We have another elderly little Jack Russell X rescue at home who’s over 13.5 years old and struggles to keep up with Boone.
The morning of the 15th of April arrived, and I packed Boone up in the car, and off we went to KPH to introduce him to a few potential new friends. Dakota was brought through to meet Boone. She was a real beauty with her short tan fur and ice-blue eyes, which twinkled from her broad Staffie-looking head. After a few tense minutes, things settled between them, and we could see that this might be a great match. We then met another potential pup but decided on Dakota. Even though she was slightly older – she was ten months old – we wondered what her little life had been like up until then.
We were told that Dakota was adopted out of KPH when she was three months old. She must have had a loving parent as she was fully house-trained and was clearly looked after during this time. Unfortunately, she landed up on the streets of Alexandra, where she was spotted and caught by another rescue agency who returned her to KPH when they scanned her microchip and found out where she’d come from. How long she’d been on the street is unclear. One clear thing is that she was very fearful of strangers, and any sudden movements had her running away.
She’s been home with us for over nine weeks and is slowly learning to trust and come out of her shell. She’s such a good girl with lots of personality and is always ready for a scratch and a hug. All three fur babies get on really well, and Boone and Dakota are best friends and spend most of their waking hours playing with each other – especially tug-of-war and chasing each other around the garden. Dakota doesn’t bark much, which is a relief as Boone is the talkative one.
I found out about MuttMix years ago through Kitty and Puppy Haven and have had all my rescue doggies tested. Curiosity is a big part of this, but I can also get a basic understanding of the behaviour and health issues of the various breeds.
Dakota’s MuttMix Results:
Level 2 Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Level 2 Siberian Husky
Level 5 Belgian Malinois
Dakota comes in with Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Siberian Husky being the dominant breeds and rounds off with a bit of Belgian Malinois. She has the Staffie build, the Malinois colouring, and the most amazing ice-blue eyes from her Husky genes. She’s very intelligent, and her love for snuggling is boundless.
Our house is full of happy barking and playful doggies. Dakota has brought a lot of joy into our home, and I’m sure things will continue to improve as her confidence and trust continue to grow.