After moving into a new home on her own, former Shortland Street actress Teuila Blakely knew she wanted to get a dog when suddenly Missy and Melo turned up on her doorstep one day.
“My best friend lives at Waihi on a farm, and there are lots of dogs out there and she ended up with these two puppies that she couldn’t keep,” explains Teuila.
“They had nowhere to go and she was desperate for someone to take them. I just looked at them and thought, ‘How can I say no?'”
Fast forward two years and Teuila couldn’t be more smitten.
“They are quite like their names,” tells the 44-year-old Power Rangers and Filthy Rich actress. “Usually Melo is quite mellow and Missy is quite mischievous. That’s pretty much their personalities!”
A self-confessed cat person before Missy and Melo, they’re the first dogs Teuila’s ever had – and she admits it took some adjustment.
“I got them at eight weeks old and it did take some getting used to. But dogs just become such a deep part of your life and being – it’s wonderful. They have this comforting presence in your home that you never had before. It’s the feeling you never knew you always wanted. I’m so thankful for them.”
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