Just two years ago, almost to the day, our teams were on the ground in Pahrump, Nevada, providing much-needed assistance to nearly 300 dogs – primarily Caucasian Shepherds – including puppies and pregnant dogs. This case was one that many of our staff say will stick with them for the rest of their lives.

Some of the dogs were found emaciated, suffering from infected wounds and abscesses, missing limbs, matted coats, advanced dental disease and ear infections. Many were also extremely fearful and were unfamiliar with handling and everyday behaviors such as walking on a leash.

Dogs on scene in Pahrump, Nevada.

“It was clear immediate intervention was necessary to ensure these animals, who appeared to be neglected and suffering from serious medical issues, could be moved to safety so they can receive much-needed care,” said Teresa Ladner, Senior Director of Investigations for the ASPCA.

Over the course of two-and-a-half months, 256 responders worked more than 17,000 hours to help these dogs and ultimately relocate them once they were healthy enough. This led to a historic transport to move many of them to the ASPCA Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) in Columbus, Ohio, where they would receive continued care, treatment and enrichment from our experts.

Once settled at the CRC, some of the dogs from this group continued to display signs of extreme fear and struggled with handling and interacting with staff. To further help their recovery, these dogs were later transferred to the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (BRC) in Asheville, North Carolina, where we hoped they would make progress on overcoming their fears and learn to better trust humans. Among the dogs that were transferred was Millie.

The Road to Recovery

“When Millie first arrived at the BRC she was shy but social with people, especially if they had food,” said Cricket Allen, Behavioral Rehabilitation Specialist at the BRC and Millie’s case worker. “We worked a lot with helping Millie get into and out of the car. She was also notably more fearful when being handled by less familiar people.”

Cricket used a process called Desensitization and Counter Conditioning (DSCC) to help build a new association with environments like the car.

“We started by luring Millie up onto various surfaces that weren't the car like agility tables, benches and futons with treats,” Cricket told us. “Then we moved to using ramps or steps to help Millie physically get into the car for those same food lures. We always made sure that any kind of work in the car was paired with something super fun like playing with other dogs or going to a long sniffy walk afterwards so that in her mind the car meant fun things were coming.”

During her time at the BRC staff ensured that Millie worked regularly with different staff members to help her fear of strangers and to learn that any time someone would come get her from her kennel, it meant she was going to have fun.

“Similar to the car we started out with familiar people being around with dogs and then worked up to the novel people being able to leash and walk Millie with less support from her familiar people, but always making sure there was something fun for her to do with the novel person,” Cricket explained.

After nine weeks of working with Cricket and other Behavior Rehabilitation Specialists, Millie officially graduated from the BRC program and was ready to find her first-ever home.

In order to find the right home for her, in an area where she had a better chance for adoption, Millie made her way back to Ohio and was transported to our incredible placement partner, Rescue Village in Geauga County.

“Millie left the BRC with a great deal more solicitous, excited and playful behavior toward people,” remembered Cricket.

Meeting Her Person

While Millie was getting used to her new digs at Rescue Village, serendipitously, Halle C. was looking for a dog after moving out of her parents’ house.

“I missed having our family dog around all the time,” Halle said. “I like to be around people and animals and was just getting lonely. I knew I would likely be switching to a hybrid position at work, so I wanted a companion for when I worked from home, too. The mix of working from home and in the office also meant I could give a dog the attention it needed. Plus, I had plenty of space to share and knew that I could make a difference in a dog’s life as they also made a difference in mine.”

Halle kickstarted her search online in hopes of finding an adult or senior dog. She also wanted to find a dog that was good with cats since her fiancé had two kittens and knew her dog would eventually live with them.

“Millie didn’t show up on my search since she had no known history with cats,” explained Halle.

During her search, Halle’s mom kept encouraging her to look at Rescue Village and meet their dogs. Halle finally decided to check out their website and soon spotted Millie online.

“I got super excited and changed my afternoon plans to be able to go see her after work,” Halle remembered. “I’ve always loved big dogs and thought Caucasian Shepherds were gorgeous, so I really wanted to meet her and see what she was like.”

When Halle and her parents went to meet Millie in person, they recall her looking very sweet but “pitiful.”

“It was obvious shelter life was hard on her and she was stressed out.” Halle explained. Though shelters and rescues provide the best possible care for animals, many, like Millie, still struggle with living in a shelter environment.

Before meeting with Millie, an adoption counselor explained her background and medical history to Halle.

“This took a while since she had been through a lot prior to ending up at Rescue Village,” Halle said. “I was intimidated by it all but hearing about what a rough start she had had and knowing how I could help her made me still want to get to know her.”

When Millie came into the room, Halle noticed she was pretty shut down but when she started petting her, it was obvious that Millie loved scratches and just needed some time to warm up.

“My dad laid down on the floor to see if she’d come over and she did right away,” Halle recalled. “She seemed to think something was wrong. It was very cute. Although shy, Millie was clearly a very sweet and gentle dog that needed someone to love her and show her that she can trust them, so I knew from this meeting that she was the one for me.”

Rescue Village was just about to close for the evening, and though Halle had planned on adopting a dog, she still needed some things before bringing a dog home. So, that night Halle went out and did some shopping. In the morning, Halle went back to Rescue Village to bring Millie home.

Finally, A Place to Call Home

Having never lived in a home before, Millie’s adjustment period went well, but still came with challenges.

“She came right on into the house and was beaming,” said Halle. “She was already acting like a completely different dog than I met in the shelter. She was exploring and seemed excited to smell everything. She stayed by my side for a few days like a little shadow and didn’t let me do anything by myself. She loved checking out her yard too and walked beautifully around it on a leash with me.”

“It took her about a week to bark at anything, but then started barking at anyone walking by the house – especially if they had a dog with them.” Halle added. “She seemed scared to go into the car or even leave her yard on foot. It’s taken some time but we now can do walks around the neighborhood and drive to parks or the vet. Seeing her hop right into the car now or trot out of the yard on leash with me makes me so happy that she’s build up so much confidence in just a few months.”

As time went on, Millie started refusing to come inside after running around in the yard because she loves the outdoors so much. They have since started working with a dog trainer.

“Overall while settling in, every few weeks Millie seemed to hit milestones where her confidence level and affection level moved up, it’s been so good to see her come out of her shell,” Halle told us.

Millie has come out of her shell so much so that she has earned the nicknames “Silly Millie” and “Muddy Millie.” Silly Millie loves doing the zoomies in the yard and especially loves it when Halle is in the yard with her. She also enjoys “protecting” her new home.

“When she’s inside guarding, she sits in the front window,” explained Halle. “The windowsill is the perfect height so that she can lay on the ground and put her chin up on it to support her head. She’ll also use the sill as a chin rest while sitting all hunched over. I had to put an acrylic guard on the sill to keep it from continuing to get ruined from the drool and claw marks!”

Muddy Millie likes to make herself beds to nap in in the muddy flowerbeds in the yard – though she is not a fan of bathtime.

A Life-Changing Adoption

When a dog is adopted into a home, it forever changes the lives of the dog, the adopter and the staff who worked so hard to get that pup into a home. Seeing Millie thriving in her new home is exactly what Cricket had always hoped for.

“The most gratifying part of the work we do at the BRC is to see where these dogs start and getting to see them thriving in a loving home,” Cricket said. “It is a remarkable relief and balm to know that the trajectory of their life changed with the ASPCA’s endeavors and despite difficult beginnings our dogs can forge a new flourishing life alongside people who love and care for them.”

For Halle, adopting Millie has brought her an incredible amount of joy.

“Coming home to her barking and whining until I open the door and then seeing her wiggles and tail wags makes my day,” Halle told us. “She keeps me active by needing to take her out on walks. I joke that Millie has become my personality because I’m always talking about her and how proud I am to be her mom.”

In addition to the joys of adopting Millie, Halle feels that being able to help and dog in need and make a best friend has been a very fulfilling experience.

“My advice to anyone considering adopting a shelter dog is to do it as long as you have the time and money they require,” said Halle. “I’d also recommend they not be intimidated by dogs that went through the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center. When I heard that name it made me nervous, but there was nothing wrong with her. She wasn’t aggressive or mean, she just needed to learn how to be a dog and trust after being neglected her whole life.”

Halle adds, “Honestly, I’d recommend BRC dogs since the work they did with her has been so helpful. I did not expect a rescue dog with a rough past to walk beautifully on leash or be so gentle taking treats from my hand, let alone be housetrained already. I am very thankful for everything they did for my girl.”