Sloane Heffernan: Meet Milton

We have a new, four-legged family member in our house. Truth be told, we weren’t planning on adopting another dog when we met Milton.

Milton was a dog that we fostered through Saving Grace Rescue. My husband was reluctant to sign-up for the weekend foster program. He felt we already had all we could handle with three busy kids, and one very lazy English bulldog.

What we quickly discovered is that once you let a dog into your home, you also let them into your heart. We fostered three dogs over the course of three weekends from Saving Grace. Each drop off ended in heartbreak. The last dog, a precious hound mix named Milton proved to be the hardest goodbye for our daughter Quinn. She was devastated and we hated to see her so sad.

While the journey began with no intention of adopting a dog, Milton had me second guessing my end of the agreement. I knew it would be a tough sell, considering my husband made it very clear that we had enough on our plates.

Luckily, my husband has a good heart and an open mind. We both agreed that Quinn had taken responsibility for caring for each of the dogs we fostered and she had so much love to give. We also agreed with the teenage years right around the corner, Milton would prove to be a wonderful companion for Quinn that would provide unconditional love and licks.

We came up with a plan to adopt Milton as a surprise for Quinn’s birthday. The video showing her surprise reaction when she opens the box and discovers we adopted Milton was priceless. The video has melted hearts across the nation, going viral, and even making national news.

Milton has also won over our hearts. Adopting another dog seemed like such a big deal at the time, but that decision has had an enormous impact on our daughter (and family) that will last a lifetime.