Millie and her Mom JP

Life is real good for Millie, a beautiful black and white female Shih Tzu who is the national symbol for Puppy Love Designs by Millie. But life was not always so sweet. In fact, there are some scars left from her early years in this world.

Her story begins in a filthy puppy mill. For over two years, Millie had been confined to a cage that was 2 feet by 21/2 feet in size. There were cages stacked over other animal cages, and the living conditions were truly filthy and disgraceful. The local animal shelter heard about the deplorable conditions in which these dogs were living and rescued 17 of them from their miserable surroundings. When rescued, Millie became known as "Dog # 12"; she weighed 10 pounds, and they had to remove a little over three pounds of animal feces from her coat that had dropped down on her from the cages above. Her nails were an inch too long. None of the animals had received any care. Millie's left pupil will not dilate due to a sharp blow she received to her eye; her eyes are very sensitive and she endured lots of pain. Silver dollar-size sores were found on her body. It was more than evident that Millie had been an abused and neglected animal.

After animal control confiscated the animals (17 dogs, a cat, and a rabbit), they were placed in quarantine at the animal shelter where they were moved into cages nearly three times as large as the ones they had lived in most of their lives. As a result of the mental abuse Millie endured, even in her larger quarters she could still only move in small circles. Everything frightened her. She would huddle in a corner and shake; it was evident that she had known no kindness.

Millie has a custom-made wardrobe complete with costumes.

After a long court case, the plight of the animals was shown on television. Millie's life began anew after her picture and story were broadcasted. On December 12, 1995, after seeing the animal's story on TV five months earlier, a local resident, Jan Palmer (known to her friends as J.P.), went to the shelter to adopt one of the seized animals. She was not alone: Over two hundred people have come forward and have placed their names on a waiting list. The court ordered all animals to be quarantined for five months while it made the final decision. In the end, the judge ordered all the animals to be neutered or spayed and placed for adoption at the Humane Society so they could never be used and abused again. Although Millie was still terrified of people, she and J.P. formed a bond as soon as they met. Millie could barely walk when she went home with J.P., and her eyes bothered her terribly. With lots of love and care, Millie's life became easier and her pains and fears slowly vanished.

Desperate to alleviate the discomfort the sun caused when it shone in Millie's eyes, J.P. came up with an idea and designed a sunvisor to keep the sun away from Millie's eyes. The puppy visor was a great success for Millie. Every time J.P. took Millie for a walk, people would asked her about the sunvisor. Traffic would stop, people would smile, and, pointing to Millie, they would ask J.P. where they could purchase the cute sunvisor Millie was sporting; hence "Puppy Love Designs by Millie" was born.

Millie has gotten so used to her visor that she picks up the one she likes to wear.

Millie is no longer a frightened dog. She has her own groomer and professional photographer, and is recognized in public. She receives fan mail, e-mail, UPS and U.S. mail full of good wishes and gifts. She even has a custom-made wardrobe complete with costumes. She goes to work every day with J.P.

J.P. is the owner of Tender Moments, a swimwear and women's intimate apparel boutique in Cape Coral, Fla., where Millie greets all the customers. Millie has gotten so used to her visor (obviously from the relief it gives her) that she basically goes to a box where J.P. keeps her great collection of visors and picks up the one she likes to wear. There is an entire aisle in J.P.'s boutique devoted to Puppy Love Designs by Millie. In the future, dog owners can expect more canine fashion from Puppy Love Designs. The visors are sold in specialty boutiques, pet stores, and grooming shops nationwide. The new Santa Paws X-Mas Suits by Millie are now available wholesale and retail.

From a tragic beginning to a life of love, comfort and understanding. To paraphrase the familiar phrase: "She's come a long way, puppy!"

For more information on Puppy Love Designs by Millie, call toll free 1-877-869-7463.