When I was younger, I spent a lot of time with my family. Long before my PA Cyber days, and before my parents separated, I had two dogs. Bringing home a puppy is such an astounding feeling with love and pure warmth at the center. Before you know it, your little pup will soon become the glue to the family. The first two dogs I was absolutely blessed with was Louie, a chubby, but witty yellow lab, and Ogie, an English Mastiff that had slobber pouring from his cheeks were two of my biggest companions.
When the divorce did happen, I didn’t have the chance to see either of the dogs anymore. I would wake up on those cold, fall mornings, dwelling on the fact that I had a whole part of me and my family that was somehow so quickly lost. When I enrolled at PA Cyber, I was expecting to work downstairs in our family house, with all of our animals and, more importantly, our family. Instead, I was pretty lonely in my grandparent's house after we moved out.
After a while, I would lay in bed, scrolling through websites with cute little puppies that needed homes plastered all over the front page. I knew asking wouldn’t be enough, so before I knew it, I was constantly begging my mom and grandparents to bring home a puppy for me. Frankly, I didn’t care what breed it was or where it came from, I just wanted a healthy puppy to love. I felt an absence of companionship, and I knew finding my own dog would heal that.
In February of 2021, I could feel my mom budging in her decision. The only thing left to do was convince Gram and Pap. I knew, the four of us as a family, were missing a part of ourselves without an animal, so I brought up the fact endlessly. I made PowerPoints and would make everyone come out to the living room so we could discuss details on why we should get a pup. I pleaded and bugged all three of them until I finally received a “Fine, Jillian. We can get a dog,” from my Mom and Gram.
At first, all the girls in the family, (My mom, gram, and myself), decided it would be better to keep Pap out of the loop when we brought home Millie. When I first found her, I thought she was the most perfect doodle on the list. Her black polished fur with highlights of snow was everything I wanted and more. Not knowing her personality yet, I wanted to take the extra few days before she arrived to be fully prepared for the newest addition to our family.
Our first step was to order a crate and blankets online and create a safe, cuddly bedroom for her. When the crate was being delivered, I heard Pap from downstairs, “What did they just drop off on the porch?” Oh. No. All I could think about was getting caught and then Pap calling Gram and convincing her getting the dog was off. I was so nervous, but I managed to tell him I received a small package, while I dragged this huge, metal crate up the stairs. Every time I think back on it I can’t help but chuckle because Pap was so against having a dog. Now, they spend almost the entire day together and truly are best friends.
The next couple of days were so exciting for me, we bought small bones and toys, puppy food, bowls, treats, a collar, a leash, and many more essentials that would help us settle her into our home. When the morning finally came, I woke up at three am to go pick her up. I could hardly even sleep that night because I was so pumped with excitement to bring home my puppy.
When I first saw Millie, I was so nervous to pick her up that I had my mom take her out to the car for me. She was so tiny and fragile, and I was scared that if I picked her up, she would feel uncomfortable or scared. During the ride home, I held her so close to me, and she eventually fell asleep in my arms. It was the most exhilarating feeling in the world, I was officially a fur mom and was so excited for our future.
Millie is the most precious thing in my life, and I have no idea where I would be without her. She constantly makes me laugh and always keeps me on my feet, but above all, I absolutely cherish spending all my time with her. Waking up and seeing her cute little face and hearing her sleepy snores make me feel so, so lucky. I can’t fathom that I have had her in my life for three entire years, but every day spent with her is another day my love grows for her.
Besides her addiction to chewing walls as a puppy and eating an entire bag of English muffins, she’s been an angel.
Latte Love,
Jill
Add comment
Comments
What can I say.
Love our Millie
Now go clean up the poop Jillian
What a beautiful story! We are all blessed for having Millie.
Love our Millieđź’‹