Number 656

We had been talking about this day for months. We arrived before they opened and sat in the long driveway filled with people waiting for them to open at 11. A had just fallen asleep and I sat on the car once the gate opened and had Ryan go up first. We decided this was better because then when he went up he would be able to assess things and things to be more prepared for A. A good 20 minutes or so bye and she finally woke up so we headed up to the kennels. Ryan was in one of the first kennels with a five month old white pup with black spots. A loves dogs, and animals of all kinds for that matter, but the pup wasn’t a good fit for us. She was terrified, as she was very high strung and busy. We put her back in the group kennel she was in and continued our search for a puppy.

We seen a few online we had a few in mind but most had already been called for, including a black-and-white healer pup that caught our eye but have been spoken for moments before. We already had spoken about coming in with an open mind because the puppy meant for us would pick us.

Just moment later, something caught Ryan’s attention just behind us. A gentleman was getting ready to leave the kennel with a small brown pup. We walked over and Ryan said “are you going to adopt one?” And the gentleman said “no, I don’t believe so. She’s not really an alpha female like I was hoping for.”

Just shortly after that statement was made, Ryan asked if we could come in and see her. They allowed us to go in and see “number 656”. This timid small pup was hiding in the corner, we walked in and the energy of A’s and of the puppy’s changed. She walked right over and began to pet the puppy’s head. She instantly started wagging its tail and trying to play with A, galloping and frolicking along side A. Ryan and I looked at each other and just knew. There was no doubt this was the pup for us. She and A picked one another – exactly what we knew would happen.

I filled out the paperwork, sat through the adoption class and it was time to pay and bring 656 home. We bounced around puppy ideas as we made a quick stop at Lowes and a stop at Petco for some puppy toys, we tested a few out and Millie is what stuck. It was easy enough for A to say and she just seemed like a “Millie” or as A calls her “Meela MeLee” haha.

The first two days she was a spunky pup and a busy one at that.  She was everything you expect a 9 week old puppy to be. Soon though, this changed rapidly. We had brought home a sick pup. She was sleeping constantly, laying around, vomiting and just not feeling well. Within a few days I was at the vet trying to find out what was necessary. I contacted the rescue to see what they could do for us, as we didn’t want to surrender her back, as we adopted her to be a life long member of our family, but we couldn’t handle thousands in vet bills either. The rescue took the reigns, had me bring her back, took care of all of her vet care and within 5 days our sweet Millie was back home with us. She was on antibiotics but she was a puppy that
was spunky and clearly feeling better.

The moment I put Millie in the car she hopped onto A’s lap in her car seat, she clearly missed her. They missed each other. We knew that a puppy would be a good fit for our family, but I didn’t realize what a blessing those two would be for each other. They are best friends. They play together constantly and Millie see’s A as a pack leader which is what we wanted, as well. I’ve never seen a bond like these to have form before. She listens to everything A will say, she never struggles with her and when Millie has something – like a toy of A’s – she walks up and Millie releases, without any trouble.

We have had her now for three and a half weeks and she’s growing quickly and learning even quicker. She’s smart, has some flare but she’s also got a balanced laid back, calm attitude we hoped for in a dog. We really couldn’t have asked for a better addition to our family. The boys are adjusting with time, since they are a bit older they aren’t quick a fan of the young, spunky energy that Millie comes with but I think it’s good for them.