Millie
Click pictures for larger view
Use your browser's BACK button to return here.
Millie Has Been Adopted!
Hi folks, my name is Millie, and I am an incredibly special, heartbreakingly sweet, 86 pound, senior (10+) Great Pyrenees girl. I have an incredibly gentle, and peaceful soul, but it’s very clear from how sad and demoralized I seemed when I first arrived from a high-kill shelter in Tennessee, that my life has been terribly hard.
I arrived in Ithaca about a month ago, and when I got here I was very sad, confused, exhausted, and timid. I acted like I didn’t expect one good thing to happen to me ever, and couldn’t conceive that I might be important to anyone. I was just resigned to a sad, lonely life. But since coming to my CDR foster home, everyone that I have met (my foster mom most of all) have been SO kind to me, and are so gentle and loving with me, that—although I can barely believe it could be true-- I am starting to have this tiny little hope that life could be good and I could be happy! It’s really hard for me to understand that people could value me and find me lovable and want to spend time with me, but my foster mom keeps telling me that it’s true and showing me that it’s true, and it’s starting to feel like it could be true. Just a total miracle, I can’t believe how lucky I am.
The other amazing thing is that the rescue folks got me all checked out by vets and although I felt physically crummy when I arrived, they say that overall I’m in pretty decent shape! I have low thyroid, have old injuries in both of my knees as well as arthritis in my hips, but otherwise am ok! I am now on thyroid meds, pain medication, fish oil, and joint supplements and I am feeling significantly better already.
I am living with 3 other dogs and a cat. As I am feeling better, I am interacting more with the dogs, though I still don’t pay any attention to the cat (which is A-OK with the cat!). As the weather has cooled off, I even feel a little frisky from time to time and when the other dogs are playing I get excited and jump around a little bit! Apparently this is amazing and very fun to see, and when I hear my foster mom laughing, I go over to her and then she tells me what a good girl I am. This is pretty wonderful! She says she wants you to know that I do this really funny thing that she has been trying (unsuccessfully so far) to get on film—apparently when I get excited by something, the fur on the very top of my head stands straight up while the fur on my face stays flat, and she says I look exactly like a sheep! She says it is beyond silly and adorable! I really love to make her smile and laugh, it’s a totally new thing for me. Then she gives me pets, hugs and kisses and though I had no idea what to make of those when I first arrived, I find that I like them very much now!
Other things about me…I am not fussy about food and have a good appetite. When I first got here I was way too scared to accept a treat from my foster mom’s hand-- she had to put it on the floor for me. I now know I can trust her, and most of the time now am brave enough to take treats from her hand! I like treats like cheese and hot dogs and biscuits--the other dogs here seem to like carrots and apples and stuff like that but so far, let’s just say I am not a fan.
My foster mom says that I snore and that it is adorable (though kinda loud). I sleep downstairs on the main floor because I can’t walk up a steep flight of stairs, but that’s fine because I need some space and I like to move around the house a bit during the night. I have several favorite spots and prefer sleeping on the floor (though the rescue folks would love it if I got brave enough to use one of the dogbeds!). Funny story…there was a huge fluffy pillow/dog bed on the floor when I first got here, but it kind of scared me so I peed on it! I haven’t done anything like that in a long time. I’m housebroken, but I do need to be let out when I need to go or I might have an accident from time to time.
One thing that makes my foster mom sad is that I cannot wag my tail. I had some kind of injury and it just doesn’t wag. She has learned that there are many other ways to figure out what I am thinking or feeling though—my eyes are very expressive and you can tell an awful lot by looking in them. When I got here they were sad all the time, but now there is a spark because I have found out that people are good and kind. You can also tell how I’m feeling by my body language—for instance, I usually greet my foster mom at the door with the other dogs when she comes home (which means I am excited to see her!), and during the day I check in with her several times to get a pet and a hug. I like to help her work on her computer and I rest my head on the tray that has the keyboard on it and help her type.
I have some rain and thunderstorm anxiety, but my foster mom is working on how she can best help me with that—we are using a combo of over the counter medication, homeopathic medication, a crate and a thundershirt! She says I have definitely gotten better since I arrived, and though I don’t like storms one bit I’m not destructive like some dogs.
I am looking for a home where I can quietly enjoy the rest of my life and where there will be someone, or some people, who will love me a lot and take great care of me. I now know what I missed for most of my life and never want to return to that sad, lonely, life. I will need to be on various medications to help with my thyroid, arthritis and aches and pains, but I will show you how grateful I am for the care you are giving me. I would be fine being an only dog or one of several, and cats are fine if they don’t mind being ignored! I cannot tolerate much of a walk, and though I can do a few steps to get in or out of a house, I cannot do a full flight because it makes my knees and hips too sore. I am not a big barker, and when I do bark, it is on the quieter side. I would love a fenced in yard!! Now that it is cooler I like to go outside and sit on the porch and watch the birds and smell the air. Want to share my golden years? I will fill your heart with my goodness, and I can’t wait for my heart to fill with your love!
If you think you'd like to adopt me, please fill out an online adoption application and live close to Ithaca , Syracuse, Binghamton, or Elmira. We do home visits on every applicant, and can't do home visits where we don't have local volunteers.
