As we have been discussing the good and bad aspects of rescue dogs , I thought I might share my experience with Miss Millie Sam, my Lab, now almost three years old has never been an only dog , we had a resident dog when Sam arrived at 9 weeks old and they bonded fairly quickly . Sadly, my other dog , who had suffered from seizures for years, had to be euthanised when Sam was about six months old as she had a brain tumour . We adopted another dog three months later and were shattered when he began to suffer siezures , we had to say goodbye as they could not be controlled with even the most powerful of drugs . Sam was depressed , or maybe I should say, he looked depressed , not suited to being on his own after two wonderful but short lived companions and so , almost eleven months ago , I found Millie . Millie had been picked up as a stray by the dog warden and taken to the pound , she had been seen by many people pounding the lanes and villages until she was caught . Fortunately for her , a Cornish shelter had a place free , but not before the pound staff discovered that she had a microchip , the owners were contacted and at first, denied owning Millie, but eventually had to admit as the evidence was clear , but they didnt want her back . We took Sam to meet her at the shelter where they spent a happy hour or so playing and messing around together , then the home check, and then she was ours . Millie came with no background whatsoever , no history at all , we didnt even know if she was spayed as the scars can fade to nothing and we didnt know her age , the shelter said about 4-6, our own Vet thought more like 8-10 years old . From the off, Millie was a happy little thing , she loved everything we gave to her, her bed, her toys and best of all, her big black companion . However , as most of us know , the vast majority of rescue dogs carry some baggage and she was no exception : We introduced her to our younger grandchildren very carefully and under close supervision but any fears soon vanished as she appeared to take them under her wing and Mother them , she had a very srong maternal instinct indeed . Millie was initially terrified of men, my husband included, she would not go to him and was particularly afraid of his feet which spoke volumes to us . In the house she was angelic , never cried at night or chewed a thing , settled in her bed by 6.p.m. and no accidents . I kept her on a long training line for ten days and then dropped the end to see what would happen , nothing at all, so off lead she went and from that day on, she has just followed Sam, off lead and in the garden too . I insisted that my husband be the one to feed her , food means a lot to Millie and slowly but surely, she began to come round, what a wonderful day it was when she jumped onto his knee for a cuddle She no longer sees men as a threat , just down to gentle socialising . She did have a habit of running to other dogs , 95% of the time to politely say hello but if she felt threatened, she would growl, never ever bite . With the aid of a tennis ball , she will now recall away from any distraction and rarely runs to other dogs . Thankfully she has never shown any aggression around food , but would snatch and would jump up , again repetative positive training has stopped these habits and she no longer does them . Its really been a case of taking Millie back to basics, treating her like a puppy and starting from scratch, but I firmly believe that it can be done , terriers are not for the faint hearted but when it pays off, there is no nicer feeling in all the world and I feel blessed that we were the ones to take this little scruff pup into our home to live with us and Sam
Re: Millies journey, so far . I love picturing her on your husbands knee Has she been due another season since she's been spayed? Just wondering if her phantom pregnancies are also happily consigned to the past.
Re: Millies journey, so far . She would have been due a season in March Barbara , no problems at all since the spay thank goodness
Re: Millies journey, so far . Lovely little Miss Millie melts your heart Well done Kate you've done a great job xx
Re: Millies journey, so far . Still a work in progress Helen, long way to go yet , mainly with socialising, but slowly slowly etc .
Re: Millies journey, so far . Aww how lovely for her to have a happy loving home with another furry friend
Re: Millies journey, so far . [quote author=kateincornwall link=topic=6151.msg80347#msg80347 date=1400770517] Millie was initially terrified of men, my husband included, she would not go to him and was particularly afraid of his feet which spoke volumes to us ... what a wonderful day it was when she jumped onto his knee for a cuddle [/quote]
Re: Millies journey, so far . [quote author=Jane Martin link=topic=6151.msg80441#msg80441 date=1400784374] Lovely story Katie. Thanks. How long ago did you get her? [/quote] We got her at the very beginning of July last year Jane , so its coming up for a year x
Re: Millies journey, so far . Katie, I had a look back in the photos bit and found one of Millie. She looks a feisty thing ;D Is she a bit of a character?
Re: Millies journey, so far . She is very much a character Jane , has an air of one who has lived a full life I`ve had terrorists and gundog breeds all my life , terriers can be a handful , stubborn and willful but somehow, when living with a Lab , it seems to have a calming effect on them .She has an almost hero worship attitude to Sam , which is quite touching, he is her rock
Re: Millies journey, so far . [quote author=kateincornwall link=topic=6151.msg80618#msg80618 date=1400826454] [quote author=Jane Martin link=topic=6151.msg80441#msg80441 date=1400784374] Lovely story Katie. Thanks. How long ago did you get her? [/quote] We got her at the very beginning of July last year Jane , so its coming up for a year x [/quote] Ah it's lovely to hear how you settled her in Kate and I can't believe it's nearly a year x
