Local Family Steps Up for Neglected Pets

Lately, everywhere I turn, it seems as though I’m hearing a story about animals who have been abused or given up because their human family didn’t want to take the time to take care of them. I see it when I visit the each week, and I hear it from friends who volunteer with rescue groups.   It’s hard to stomach sometimes, but knowing there are some Douglasville families out there who will stop at nothing to help a homeless or hurt pet keeps me from losing all faith in humanity.  

Lindsay Millett’s family, for example, has been rescuing animals for as long as she can remember.  “We always had pets and mom was always taking in stray dogs, cats –a family of rabbits at one point. She nursed them back to health and then set them free.”

Some of the stories Millett told me about animals they have rescued are not for the faint of heart.  Benji, a long-haired Chihuahua, is a dog that her mother and step-father met when they were in Virginia, caring for her sick step-grandmother.   The stray pup turned out not to be a stray at all, but belonged to someone who lived in the neighborhood.  He was scrawny, missing patches of fur and had been left outside in the cold without food. Millett’s mother took the little dog inside and fed him and gave him a bath, and when it was time for them to return home to Douglasville, she approached Benji’s owners. With very little reluctance, they told her they didn’t want the dog, and at that moment, Benji’s life changed forever. 

“He still exhibits some behaviors of a mistreated dog,” Millett said of the little guy who is now nine years old and still living with her mother. “For instance, when he is up in my lap, I cannot just shoo him away like you could with any lap dog. You must coerce him down, make him think it is his idea, or else, he chases and chews his leg raw–a tick he developed. But he is much happier now–sleeping in a bed, getting more than enough to eat and lots and lots of treats and love.” 

Rosie is another animal who almost lost her life thanks to the careless behavior of her family. When Millett’s mother’s neighbors moved out of their rental home, they left nothing but a cat who was very sick and very small for its age. The owner of the house, knowing Millett and her mom’s love of animals, contacted them and asked if they could help. The cat was treated for what turned out to be herpes, but they were in for another surprise: the little cat had never been spayed and was pregnant. 

Millett’s grandmother fell in love with the cat and when she had two kittens a few weeks later, she named them Lily and Buddy with good reason. “All three named relating to flowers–something you have to take care of, that you have to make a commitment to in order for it to grow and bloom–much like owning an animal,” Millett explained.  The three cats still live with the family and enjoy chasing and teasing their Chow/Golden Retriever mix, Benson, another family rescue dog.      

Millet says her family has seen many other horrible situations involving animals.  Dogs who were thrown down flights of stairs or even worse, and animals who just weren’t being provided with safe living conditions or even food and water. “They become so submissive and withdrawn that they fear even a loving hand and that just breaks my heart,” she said of the animals she’s seen over the years.  

I asked Millet if she had a message for Douglasville Patch readers who were considering taking in a pet, and her answer was simple: a pet should be part of your family. “I honestly think if you consider your furniture and belongings too special and fragile to have an animal around it, then don’t get one. People everywhere are ready to give an animal a loving home and make them a part of the family, which is the way I believe it should be. I don't own my cats; I just pay rent for their apartment, and they allow me to live there.”