I adopted Milo a month ago. It was explained to me by one of the shelter workers that Milo had been surrendered three times by three different owners in a three year period. The dog would have been put down if they couldn't find a forever home for him. Two weeks before I met Milo, I'd been following him online -- watching to see if anyone had adopted him. I knew from past experiences with Humane Society's in my area that because of overcrowding and lack of finances, older dogs like Milo didn't have much chance of survival if they weren't adopted quickly. He did have one thing going for him -- he was small. It seemed like a lot of the dogs who really had it rough were the large breeds...and of course, Pit Bulls, but that's another post. (I really feel for those poor Pits -- such loving dogs with such a bad rap).

After two weeks of watching the Humane Society's website, I decided to meet Milo in person. I wanted to see for myself what this little dog was about and if we'd be a good fit for each other. The adoption worker sat me in a small room where I proceeded to wait for her to bring Milo to me. It was actually a rather nervous moment for me -- I knew a lot rode on this meeting. Saving a dog's life is never easy! I was so worried that this dog's "past" would turn me off to adopting him. I didn't want to adopt a seriously disturbed dog (that's what his last owner's referred to him as), but boy was I surprised when I met him. This little red-colored Min Pin darts into the room and immediately heads straight over to me. I spent a half hour alone with him. Just the two of us. It gave me a chance to read over some of his paperwork, pet him, and even feed him a few treats. He hopped up on my lap a few times (I noticed he didn't like to be cuddled or held), and he wasn't a dog that liked toys. I'd later find out his past owners never gave him toys to play with, only locked him in a crate for 8 hours a day. He never learned to be a dog. I told the adoption worker that I wanted him. I had a good feeling that we'd get along well...it would be challenging, but I felt I was up to the challenge. She agreed to the adoption and that same day Milo came home with me! I hadn't expected to have him home the same day, but thankfully I had everything waiting for him at home. We did have to pick up some food for him since I hadn't anything for him to eat.

He's such a good dog. His personality is finally showing through -- he's less nervous, less scared, and definitely a better eater. He was quite timid for the first two weeks I had him. We both enjoy taking walks -- sometimes three a day! I am an avid walker/hiker, so having an active dog has been great. His behavior "issues" have started showing themselves lately. He has a moderate degree of separation anxiety, but its getting better. I've learned a few tricks to make him feel less anxious when I'm gone...all of which seem to be working. I've also had to teach him to walk on a leash. He was never taught simple commands like: sit, stay, or leave-it. His past owners taught him the command "sit", but instead of teaching him to actually sit on command, he was taught to twirl around in a circle. It took me a long time to break him of that habit and learn the actual "sit" command. The next command I'm trying to teach him is "down." I'm glad he's not a jumper or a big barker. He does bark when he feels threatened or someone's at the front door. He's definitely a good watch dog. I think he believes himself to be a full-sized dog, not a 14 lb min-pin!

It really is wonderful having a dog again. He's slowly becoming more affectionate as well. My last pet was a cat -- she died seven months ago. I knew my next pet would be a dog. And Milo it was! I'm really thankful for this little guy...he's brought so much joy, humor, and fulfillment back into my life.