MACDUFF
Fun, kind and a gentle giant
Macduff was found on the street at around 9 months old and was taken to Cantinho da Milu. He was then rescued by Meg and Matt. Meg’s family had always adopted their previous dogs. When they went to the shelter to choose a dog this time the decision was quite simple. “When the lady who was showing us around opened the pen and all the dogs came running out, he just waited his turn. My mum and I just looked at each other and we are like ‘Can we take that one for a walk?’. He was just like 'I'll just wait until you all run out’.” And not to forget, “It really was the moustache!”
Macduff is a very loved member of his human and animal family which also consists of 2 adopted cats. “He gets on with any animal that has ever existed. If a seagull will let him walk up he'll be like ‘Hey, are you my new best friend?’” After nearly 8 years of hanging out together, they “can’t remember life without him now. He's just so happy to be everywhere…He’s like a gentle giant…If he goes outside he's going to be saying hello to everyone he knows and people he doesn't know.” Macduff is up for anything. “He’s an adventure buddy. You can go to a cafe and just hang out and he'll be like okay ‘I'll just people watch with
you’. We can take him hiking in Sintra, or when he can go on the beaches he'll go swimming. It's fun!”
Meg and Matt advise anyone wanting to adopt a dog, that patience and commitment are really important. “It is a commitment. It takes time…They take time to acclimatise until they figure out this is their house…This is actually home. In that time there might be some little hiccups.” Also, that having the money for pay for vet bills is a consideration. “A lot of those dogs get turned back over because because people can't afford Veterinary Care...This is a family member. You wouldn't turn your Aunt out on the street because because she got cancer.” Another important consideration is the type of dog. “There are dogs that don't fit every lifestyle…Getting a dog for an aesthetic reason like ‘Oh, that's cute’. If they're high energy and you're living in a flat, are you going to have time to give them four walks a day forever?”
“If you're really lucky, you'll end up with something like this (pointing to Macduff). What a goof! We hit the lottery with this big guy.”
