Mimi

In fall 2008 my husband and I had just moved to a new house in Smyrna with our two dogs, Fred and Sid. I was feeling outnumbered by the boys, so we searched around for a third, hopefully a girl. Since Fred and Sid are both rescues, we knew for sure we wanted a rescue, and were interested in an AARF dog named Luna. We went out to meet her, and she was wonderful, but I was drawn to her mother, Mimi. She was a little roly-poly dog with a sweet face who was absolutely terrified of everyone and all the action of the adoption day. Julie, her foster mom, brought her out to our house, and she was one nervous little dog. Julie explained to us that she had come from the streets of a rough neighborhood where she had cared for her two puppies, exposed to the elements and foraging for food.

I had a feeling that we should give her a chance, and so we adopted little miss Mimi. At first, we wondered if we had picked the wrong one. She didn't seem to be relaxing or getting comfortable with us, although we tried our best to help her out.

Today I am so grateful that we stuck it out, because Mimi is a treasure. She's like a completely different dog--loving, affectionate (she always has to be right by my side), and even confident with strangers. Her favorite thing in the world is a long walk, so we try to get her outside as much as we can. She still bears the marks, both physical and psychological, of her early struggles, but we are so happy to have been able to give her the life she deserves. She is my little princess!