Almost a year after his passing, the thought of him not being here with me hasn’t gotten an easier. What helps me to keep going, to push through this immense sadness, is the thought of him, our beautiful memories, and his incredible story.

We didn’t know Milo as a puppy and understand that he may not have had the best first years of his life as he should have, but the day he became ours, he knew nothing other than love and happiness – and tasty food, of course.

It was Milo who really opened my eyes to the beauty of the shelter world. Yes, I had adopted a cat previously, who I loved dearly, but the way Milo blossomed once we adopted him was remarkable to watch and it made me understand just how meaningful it is to adopt a shelter pet. At first he was rather shy and you could tell he hadn’t been allowed up on a human bed, let alone a couch. He was naughty about begging, but I imagine that is because he knew of hunger in is previous years, or it was just his hound tendencies.

Over the years we saw Milo’s confidence grow, his manners develop, and he began to thrive. He accompanied us everywhere we went: hikes, car rides, family visits, vacations… you name it, and always exuberated happiness, putting a smile on even the grumpiest persons face. Milo was quite the ladies’ man, too, which was adorable. I can’t say his begging behavior ever went away, but that’s likely our fault with caving to his soulful eyes and gentle demands.

I think the sweetest thing to watch was how he became Jessie’s best friend and how bonded those two became. Years later he became a big brother to Luna, and showed her the ropes on how to zoomie all around in proper dog fashion. Milo was part of a “wolfpack”, our pack, and knew how much he was loved. I know Milo became “Milo” because of the home and life we gave him.

Milo steered me into my career path of animal welfare and I will forever be thankful for that. His story inspired me to help other shelter pets like him find a home where they, too, could be a beloved family member - Where they had a chance to thrive.

Help keep Milo’s spirit alive and make a donation in his memory to help shelter pets like him get a chance at a happy, fulfilling life!