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Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Thoroughly Darlin' Millie

 


Hello, dear friends.  I know that most of you have heard that we have a sweet new addition to our family, Millie. I wanted to take the time to tell you her story as well as answer some questions of the canine variety that you have asked.



At the beginning of the Summer, I noticed that one side of Chili's tummy looked swollen and she seemed to be in some pain.  After blood work and many tests, my Vet called me early on a sunny Saturday morning to tell me that my sweet little diva had liver disease and there was not a lot that they could do for her.

I knew that bad news was coming our way and yet I couldn't believe it.   The Mister and I talked about it and we decided that we would say goodbye to our girl on Monday.  We didn't want her to go through any more pain.



 Over the rest of the weekend, every time that I looked at Chili's sweet little face and into her trusting eyes, I lost it.  I spent all of the weekend snuggling with her and feeding her plenty of chickies, her favorite thing in the whole world.



Needless to say, I never wanted Monday to arrive.  The Mister insisted on taking her.  I was such a mess, I couldn't go.  I kissed her on the head and thanked her for being so sweet to her Mommy.  I also asked her to pick out our next pup for us.  There is no question in my mind that she did.




Many readers have written to me regarding Chowdah's whereabouts.  Last Spring, during the Pandemic, our number #2 came home to Massachusetts to spend a few weeks.  During that time, I realized how lonely and isolated she felt.  Her whole family was out of state and she wasn't dating anyone seriously at the time.  Our #2 asked if she could take Chowdah to Texas to live with her temporarily.  I said yes and the rest is history.



By the time we moved back to Texas, my girl and Chowdah were as thick as thieves.  Her apartment complex is filled with young people who adopted dogs during the pandemic.  Every evening the dogs and owners gather in a big field attached to the complex so the dogs can play and the owners can socialize.  It is an ideal situation on all fronts.


We get to see Chowdah and our #2 frequently, and Millie is quite smitten with Chowdah.

...which leads me to the story of Millie.

The Mister and I began a search for our new family member.  We are both dog people and there were very few days in our 31 years of marriage that we did not have a dog under our feet.  

At the time we were looking, distemper broke out in the shelters and North Texas halted all adoptions.  So our next step was to research breeders.  We came across NAR Breeders in Arkansas and perused the adoptable pups. 

 

And as the song goes...

Then I saw her face...
"Millie"

I got in touch with Abby, the breeder,  who could not have been more helpful.  She answered all of my questions promptly.  Abby informed me that Millie was a real sweetheart and was on the shy side.

When you are a senior citizen and crazy enough to adopt a puppy, the word shy is music to one's ears.  

Abby was so organized and sent me Millie's papers as well as putting us in touch with a transport company.  



On a humid Sunday night in July, our little Millie arrived.  All eleven pounds of her.  I couldn't believe how calm she seemed.  Right away, she warmed up to us.  We weren't sure that we were going to keep the name Millie.  We had a list of options.  After we met her though, we agreed that Millie was the perfect fit.



She slept in a crate in our room.  We have a door that goes straight out to the patio.  As many of you know, time is of the essence when potty training. 


During the day, we keep this bed out for her.  She prefers to bury her treats in the seams, rather than catch 40 winks. 

She settled in quickly, and we are down to about one accident a week.  
And she shows no shame.


Her hobbies include watching me 24/7.


Sneaking into the fireplace to chew on some rocks.
 



And sending subtle hints my way that it's chow time. 




At times, usually, when she's sleeping, I sit back and think how lucky we are to have found her.





And then there are times when I say to myself...
what was I thinking?

Years ago, someone told me that you take care of your puppy the first year, and the pup takes care of you for the years that follow.



 

For anyone with a puppy or thinking of getting one, here are some of Millie's hits and misses. 
  
  

The best!!

Even on non-pet stains.



Millie has developed quite an appetite for our furniture.
One lick of this and she moves on. 
Usually to my leg.






Her first collar before we settled on her name.





One of the first things that I bought after getting the stamp of approval on her name.




I ordered one of these for when she gets her big-girl collar.





For now, she is sporting one of these.
In pink, of course.





We put her doppelganger in her crate for the first couple of nights.  It came with a beating heart to mimic her biological Mom's. 
I tried to fit in her crate.
Shockingly it was a no-go.



She doesn't sleep with it anymore, but she plays with it all day.





Millie goes out every morning for a 3-mile run with the Mister. 
I stay under the covers and make a list in my head of all the fun things that I'm going to order on Amazon.








The Mister takes her to a field and plays ball with her.
This super long leash is a safety measure.







This is the belt that the Mr. runs with.







I bought one of these.
It was a miss.
She hated it.






The Mister bought this and it works much better.
Don't tell him I said that. 










I bought several of these light leashes because I keep one on her all day long.
Otherwise, I could never catch her. 









Amazon


She loves when we fill these with peanut butter and freezes them.











Millie loves these.
Lucky for us, they came in a set of three.
At this moment I can only locate one.
Chances are we will find the other two when we light the fireplace.






She loves anything with nubs on it.


















These are a big hit.





This, not so much.










She loves these and they last a really long time. 















Amazon

She's pretty good at ringing the bell to go out.

Sometimes, she rings it just to see how fast I can get out of my chair.




How cute are these dog bowls and mat?

She's either showing them off or she's hungry.

Your guess.


There are all sorts of surprises buried in the seams of that bed.



I highly recommend this treat holder.

Before this arrived, Millie would use furniture or my foot as leverage.  Sometimes she gets carried away and takes a bite out of a table leg or her Mama's ankle. 






If you think this is a thermometer, you are correct.
But it is also a Senior Citizen's best weapon when it is 100 degrees out and you need to wear out a pup.
All you need to do is point it at the floor and watch your pup chase the red dot!
This is Millie's favorite thing in the whole world! 






Until next time...





The Mister found this online.
Sorry, I don't have a credit.

Linking up with:


Preppy Empty Nester
Preppy Empty Nester

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Feel free to contact me through comments and email. I love to hear from my readers!

29 comments:

  1. Millie is adorable and the video is so cute. Life is just way better with a dog even though they are trouble:)

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  2. She is precious for sure....love the name.

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  3. She is sooo cute! I loved reading her story!

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  4. We got a puppy last September whose name is also Millie. We’re dog people and waited about two years after our last one passed. We’re retired..how hard can raising a puppy be? We underestimated it all!! Wouldn’t trade her for a thing..she was 1 year august 1st and I can honestly say it is so much easier…but there were many moments!!!

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    Replies
    1. For some reason, I thought that a puppy was just a bit more work than Chili, our 13 year old, half blind rescue. Bow was I wrong! I just got back from a walk with her and I feel like I should call 911 for oxygen!

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  5. SO CUTE!MY BETTY SIX MONTHS OLD HAS THE SAME PINK COLLAR..............
    WE ALSO HAVE A FEW OF THE SAME CHEW TOYS!!

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  6. Precious Millie! Is she a full-bred Golden? Rest in peace, sweet Chili.

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  7. Miss Millie is wonderful! What breed is she? I suspect she'll be a big girl when fully grown. I think the best way to recover from the loss of a beloved pet is to get a new one fairly quickly. They are no doubt a lot of trouble, I mean, take a lot of care -- but a house is just not a home without a dog. 🦴💚🦴 It's just the way it is.

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    Replies
    1. Millie is a goldendoodle who takes after her Mama, a golden. Have a great evening!

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  8. Awwww... thank you for this post! Millie is adorable and is a very lucky girl. I'm so sorry you lost Chili to liver disease. Such hard decisions we have to make for our furbabies. Chowdah and your #2 look content and happy! I have cats but enjoyed seeing all the great things you found for sweet Millie! xo

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  9. So sorry to hear Chili’s story but glad she didn’t suffer

    Sounds like Chowdah has it made.

    Millie is adorable and I smiled reading about all of her puppy antics.

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  10. Sniffle sniffle...such a bittersweet story! So glad Millie found you!
    Jenna

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  11. Omg!!!! This makes me so happy for y’all! I waited 9 months after I lost sophiejane before PoppyPearl came into my heart! I NEVER thought I could live another but ms PoppyPearl has completely taken over my life! Is that a squeaky pink pig beside Millie??? Poppy’s FAVORITE toy in all the land…she literally talks to it when she plays with it and she’s oh so careful with it too!
    Isn’t puppyland just the best????

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  12. Millie is so adorable! So sorry to hear about Chili though.

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  13. So sorry for your loss Katie, it's hard to say goodbye to a beloved pet, we know. Millie is darling and I know she will be a sweet family member. Yes, you were lucky to find her but boy is she lucky! Have fun with that girl........

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  14. the video!!! love the gingham mat! life it too short to not have a dog!

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  15. Although we much prefer to stay animalless, I'm sure that is a word, we do have adorable granddogs. Miss Millie is adorable and I'm just glad she has you adoring adults to to meet her every whim.

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  16. Chili sent you the perfect pup! So glad that you have her and she has found her fur ever home! Looking forward to many such cute posts. Also loving Chowdah’s story. Good to know he’s still in the family!

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  17. That's one giant fireplace or one small pup. And she's just darling -- how could you not fall in love with that fabulous face? And she looks so soft. I'm so sorry to hear about Chili -- I was wondering if something was amiss when we didn't see her. (I think I knew about Chowdah and #2.) That had to be just heartbreaking and I'm so glad she helped you find the perfect friend to fill her spot. Big love!

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  18. Welcome Millie! You are one lucky gal! What font did you get on her bandana? i like it but can't figure out which one it is? thanks!

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  19. I am so sorry about Chili; deciding to put a dog to sleep is the hardest thing. Millie, however, is the cutest thing. I love her food and water dishes. Since I’ve been looking at them also, I followed your link to Etsy, but don’t see the same one. Who is the provider?

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  20. Millie is magnificent. You know my heart went out to you over Chili’s loss. I know that pain. I’m soooo ready for a pup but Mr. Nine is not. Maybe if I show him Millie..oh my…soooo precious!!

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  21. Puppies should only run about 2 miles until they’re an adult….. not my business but….

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