Meet the real Mila, the inspiration for our Christmas Story!

December 30, 2013 • By Monica Sposato

If you’ve been following us on Facebook, we recently shared an illustrated Christmas story about a homeless dog named Mila and her journey to find her forever home. In case you missed it, a link to our full Christmas Story is at the bottom of this post! Meet the real Mila, the inspiration for our Christmas Story Earth Rated™ Team member Massimo was reunited with his dog Mila in November – after she had been missing for almost two years! This is Massimo’s story about how his beloved dog was lost and then found. About six years ago, I walked into a pet shop in Montreal to buy cat food with David N, one of the Earth Rated™ co-founders. There she was, all alone in her pen as all of her siblings had already been given homes and she was the last one left of her litter. She was four months old at the time and I couldn’t bear leaving her there all alone. That day, I gave her a home and she gave me her love. (This was before I knew about shelters and rescues). Since I’ve had Mila, she’s done some pretty unbelievable things. She has eaten not one, but two couches in her first year with me (you think I would have learned after the first one). She used to escape from the crate I left her in during the day as a pup while I was out, only to find that the crate was still locked when I returned home (it took me two weeks to figure out how she did it. Looks like she is smarter than me for sure). One day, I returned home to find the cage in the middle of the room and everything she wanted on the outside of the cage, in it. But throughout all of this, she always had my heart. In April of 2011, while on vacation with my fiancé, both family dogs (Mila and Molly) were left with my parents for boarding. One afternoon, they both managed to escape from our back yard and roam the neighborhood. This was the last time we heard from her. We managed to recover Molly six blocks from our family's home, but Mila was nowhere to be found. We searched for her for weeks. We put posters of her all over the city, posted her picture on Facebook and went on hunts in every area there was a lead. We contacted the SPCA and local pound frequently. We even hired a pet detective to help with the search, but no luck. She was gone. After weeks of searching, I could only hope that someone had found her and was taking good care of her rather than her meeting her fate in a cruel and lonely way… That was a year and a half ago. Well, my prayers were definitely answered. 2 weeks ago, our little Houdini managed to escape again from the person who found her initially in 2011. When someone found her roaming the streets in the east end of Montreal, they posted a lost dog on Facebook and local animal shelter sites. If I didn't believe it was a small world before, I believe it now. My fiancé saw the post of a lost dog after one of her friends shared it on her page and recognized Mila immediately. As soon as I saw her picture online, I knew it was my baby. So after a year and a half of being separated, I was finally reunited with my dog thanks to a little bit of luck and some good Karma. She's doing great adapting to her new home with me and my fiancé and our family just grew by one overnight. I wouldn't have it any other way! The universe has a funny way of operating sometimes, so now I have to pass on the good Karma. Be sure to check out Mila’s Way Home in its entirety below! Remember, there are many ways that you can help shelter and rescue dogs even if you can’t adopt a dog. You can donate, educate and spread the word. Follow your local shelters and rescues on Facebook – even just a click of the mouse to “share” a missing or found dog notice can be life-changing! Check out the full Christmas Story, Mila's Way Home, on our Facebook page here.