[MillisMomma]

Greetings! I'm new here and wanted to introduce my little Milli.

I've always adored animals - small dogs in particular. Twenty years ago, as my husband and I prepared for marriage, we knew we wanted to adopt a dog to begin our 'family'. More than anything, I wanted a little yorkie. Unfortunately, we were living on less than nothing at the time so our choices were very limited. We also felt very strongly about animal rescue and wanted to adopt a puppy that needed a home.

We were blessed to adopt Keesu, a shih-tzu/keeshond mix, from a shelter while on our honeymoon. Keesu blessed our lives beyond all description for 17 years and 8 months despite enduring epilepsy her entire life. Because of her needs, we never felt able to adopt a second dog so my desire for a yorkie was placed on hold. She passed peacefully in December and, after our grief subsided a bit, we knew that we wanted to adopt another puppy.

We adopted a mixed breed puppy for my daughter but my heart had a huge hole in it that just wasn't filled. I began searching for a Yorkie puppy on PetFinder because we do still feel strongly about adopting from shelters. But, it's not too often that you'll find a baby yorkie in a shelter - so my hopes weren't high. Nevertheless...there she was! Not only was she listed but she was in a shelter just a few miles down the road. Providence was with us! Milli's Momma had been rescued from a puppy mill in order to remove her from deplorable conditions. When her puppies were born, they were raised, spayed, and adopted. Momma was also spayed and adopted out. Adopting from a shelter was great for us because we have no need for a pedigree...Milli's only task in life is to love and be loved.

Baby Milli came home with us. We named her Milli Jewel because my husband said she wasn't much bigger than a 'millimeter' and, of course, she's more precious to us than any jewel on earth. The story from there on has been endless smiles and giggles and happiness and undying love. I'm so wrapped around all four of those little paws that I can't think straight! It took 18 years for me to get my little yorkie and I plan to love her every moment of every day for as long as life allows.

That's our story. I look forward to making new friends here and learning from your experiences. Best wishes to all!