Lillie
Life’s a Beach
Last summer, a young, frightened Border Collie was abandoned in a bathroom at the ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital. The pup, named Roxy, was “a very sweet but terribly shy girl, and everything seemed to scare her, including new people and places,” recalls ASPCA Senior Manager of Behavior and Training Victoria Wells.
But slowly, with the help of kind ASPCA staff members and volunteers, and other canine friends who showed her how to be brave, Roxy started coming out of her shell. Soon, she was ready to go to a special Border Collie rescue group.
But that rescue never got the chance to meet this loving pooch; the person who volunteered to transport her there adopted her on the spot!
We caught up with Betsy Blee to ask her about life with Roxy, now named Lillie!
ASPCA: How did you decide to adopt Lillie?
Betsy: Seeing and meeting her was a done deal for us—we adopted her right away!
ASPCA: How did Lillie adjust to her new family?
Betsy: Very easily. She fit in beautifully with the male Border Collie we have, and the staff at the ASPCA had worked with her ahead of time.
ASPCA: How is Lillie’s life different now?
Betsy: I retired from corporate life in NYC and moved home to the coast of North Carolina. We now live one block from the water, where the dogs can run free virtually every day. They also get walks and free runs around wooded areas.
ASPCA: What do you love most about her?
Betsy: She is sweet and wants to please, is smart of course, runs like the wind, herds her brother, comes when called, loves to be rubbed and is very affectionate. Lillie dances at the fence when she sees us. I call her Leaping Lil when she does that because she jumps so high, up and down and up and down, and barks in such an excited way—it is too funny. She spins and leaps and barks and wags just to have her people back in the herd at home. Who wouldn’t love that kind of welcome?