When Breanna Gilliam pulled into work at the Yadkin County Animal Shelter one morning, she noticed a dark shape near the sign at the end of the driveway. She didn’t think much of it — until the shape suddenly started barking.
“When I walked out there, the poor girl was tied to our sign,” Gilliam told The Dodo. “She was very scared to start with and wouldn't come to me.”
The dog — later named Millie — had been tied directly beneath a sign that clearly read: “Abandoning an animal is cruel and illegal. Please do not leave animals unattended at this location at any time.”
But the person who left her there ignored every word.
Gilliam approached slowly, giving Millie time to feel safe. It didn’t take long for the nervous pup to realize she was finally in good hands. She was clean, healthy and clearly well cared for at some point — all signs that she’d once been someone’s indoor companion. Security footage later revealed she’d been tied there for about two and a half hours before Gilliam arrived, miraculously unharmed.
“She definitely appeared to be an indoor dog by the looks of it,” Gilliam said. “Very potty trained and calm and had such a sweet and submissive demeanor.”
The shelter shared Millie’s story on Facebook — and almost immediately, someone fell in love.
“I had seen their Facebook post about her being abandoned and left tied to their sign, and it literally brought me to tears,” Kathy Culler, Millie’s new mom, told The Dodo. “Something about her face and her eyes really reached into my soul. I immediately reached out to them about adopting her.”
Kathy and her family had recently lost their own rescue dog, and when she walked into the shelter lobby and saw Millie waiting, she knew instantly it was meant to be.
“As soon as we got in the car, she made her way into my lap for the ride home, and as we passed the sign that she had been tied to, I promised her she would never be abandoned again,” Culler said.
Today, Millie is fully settled into her new life — surrounded by human and furry family members who adore her and can’t imagine their home without her.
“I can't understand why anyone would abandon her,” Culler said. “Someone else's loss was definitely our gain.”
