Meeting Milly...Part 3: Milly

Meet Milly...previously known as Shelly a name she clearly didn't know from Adam...or Eve... or Fido...or Spot. Abi scoured the internet searching for the perfect dog name, finally settling on Milly or Mildred for short. Or is that Mildred...Milly for short. Either way, here she is. Milly is a 3 year old Jack Russell Terrier, from Anderson South Carolina, who was supposedly surrender for "chasing goats". Yes, that is exactly what her surrender paperwork said...CHASED GOATS. I was thinking Oh Shit. I know alot of Jacks can't go to homes with cats, nevermind a home with cats and chickens. I think we have just made a grave mistake. OK QUIT PANICKING! Lets see what happens before you freak out Karen!
Milly has continued to be as unimpressed by life now as she was that day in her crate surrounded by her hoppy (yes hoppy) crate mates! Aside from her jaunts on to the counter tops to see what treats the cats may have in their bowls...she has showed little interest in the cats, the chickens or the dogs.
I fear her original owner may have broke her spirit and honestly we have made it a mission to bring the "dog" in Milly back out. When she wags her nub I feel satisfaction knowing there is a dog in her somewhere. She rarely smiles...but does show interest in what Remi and Bella are up to. They run and play and she follows close by~but has yet to break down and join in the fun. I know she will eventually. You can tell she's thinking about it!
Anyway, this is Milly and I'm sure to have more on her in the weeks to come as we break the walls of silence that currently cage her. I can tell she has a heart of gold we just need to draw it out of her!

Meeting Milly...Part 2: Picking out a Dog

I can tell you right off, looking at puppies was not an option. Puppies will almost always find homes and I was not prepared to return to potty training, etc. Although...with an adult dog you run the risk of not having any control over your dogs personality or their current behaviors. Plus, as much as I hate to say it, alot of adult dogs are surrendered because their owners couldn't handle whatever quirks the dog had and decided to dump the dog rather than fix it~humans give up on their dogs much quicker than the dogs give up on the humans. So you are sort of left wondering what quirks you might be taking on. Regardless, we were there to look and save a dog... not look and fall in love with a puppy. Because yeah, yeah, all puppies are cute. We know.
After being allowed into the tent it was overwhelming. You really didn't even know where to go first, crate after crate was filled with dogs. Big dogs, furry dogs, skinny dogs, dogs giving puppy eyes, dogs hoping you wont see them and talk to them, dogs who couldn't stop barking, dogs who jumped, dogs who laid, purebreds, mixed muts, and hybrids I'm sure. Every single kind of dog you could imagine. Aside from an adult, we knew we would prefer a small female dog, but we weren't set on anything. When the kids suggested they wanted "this kind of dog or that" I would quickly remind them that we would get the dog that needed us. Its not like sitting at home thinking "i want a Labrador" and going to the store to pick one out.
Abi was fast to settle on Chelsea. Chelsea was a tiny little white jack Russell terrier, her name tag said she was 5 years old...and DEAF! Chelsea was endearing. She was small, she was quiet, she was covered in scars that told a less than pleasant past. We took out Chelsea's name tag and got in line to inquire about her (yes another line! can you believe it?) I told John as I stood there I kind of felt like I was wasting time just finding out how Chelsea could manage in our home with our dogs and kids~and I knew John was triple worried about a deaf dog in OUR house. He made his way out of the line and asked some of the nearby staff who explained Chelsea's inability to hear has caused her to scrap whenever she feels unsafe or violated. A simple sniff to Chelsea's hind-end leaves her feeling vulnerable and she is quick to retaliate. John explained to Abi that really Chelsea was not the right dog for us and Abi turned to me in line and shook her head "no".
After seeing her shake her head I exited the line knowing we again needed to begin our search for the "perfect" dog. There were alot of Jack Russells, a breed John has always wanted (yet I was never as convinced). There was one little female who barely moved..no matter how much you called to her. She laid there unimpressed by the throngs of people. She was not the cutest dog I had ever seen, and her lack of motivation had me somewhat concerned. The staff told John her name was Shelly and she got along great with other dogs. Apparently being crated with 6 other dogs did little to disrupt Shelly's life. John grabbed her name tag and again we made our way to the line. Abi was quick to remind me that "we would be all the way up there if you hadn't gotten out of line!" to which I replied... "Thank you smart one, I was not staying in line if we had not picked out a dog yet". While this line was much shorter than the first it seemed to last forever. After reaching yet another table a girl quickly ran through some questions to determine if we were qualified owners. A list of questions any seasoned liar could write off without much thought... They grabbed Shelly, gave us her paperwork, and we were FINALLY on our way back to Terrytown, USA. What a day.
After all that work we had no idea what we had just walked away with. Really, we had NO CLUE what we had just gotten ourselves into. But we both quickly dismissed our woes, and focused on the fact that we had just saved a dog that may have otherwise been killed for no good reason.

Things We Can Learn From Our Dogs....

Things We Can Learn from Our Dogs

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
Take naps, and stretch before rising.
Run, romp and play daily.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
Thrive on attention, and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On hot days, drink lots of water and Lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around And wag your entire body.
No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout
run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.