With a doting “mum”, his very own treat cupboard and a best friend in the form of Noah the cat, it’s no wonder that Miller, the husky cross pomeranian, is loving life right now.
The white and fluffy bundle of joy is already a bit of a celebrity on the Aberdeenshire “dogwalk” circuit with people constantly stopping to admire his canine beauty.
But Miller’s fan base is set to grow as he and his “mum” (owner) Jo Wallace will appear on Scotland’s Best Dog, a new BBC Scotland show to find the most-cherished canine characters who have heart-warming bonds with their owners.
“My best friend spotted an advert on Facebook from the programme makers who were looking for people who have unbreakable bonds with their dogs and she encouraged me to apply,” said Jo, 27.
“So I sent an email with pictures of Miller, describing his personality, and the next thing I knew I was in the show, it was nuts.”
Best friends
Describing Miller as her “best friend”, Jo says her life changed the moment he came bounding into it four years ago.
“He’s just that positive boost you need as he’s always got a spring in his step,” said Jo.
“You can’t have a bad day around him because he’s just so happy.”
The soon-to-be doggy TV star was born in Northern Ireland before finding a happy home with Jo, her partner Daniel Baird and their cat Noah in Aberdeenshire.
“Five days after we got the keys to our new house we went and picked him up,” said Jo.
“It was crazy, the house got put on hold, we had boxes everywhere upstairs but our focus was on little Miller.
“He was this tiny little fluffy ball.
“He came into our lives as he meant to go on, as a really confident dog who never ever barked.”
Feline friend
From the get go, Jo knew Miller was in a class of his own, especially in the way he befriended Noah the cat.
“When we first let them into the same room, we were on guard in case anything happened,” said Jo.
“But they literally became best friends straight away.
“Before long our cat was cleaning Miller; they would spend ages licking each other.
“They also sleep in the same bed, we couldn’t believe our luck.”
TV stardom
But it was Miller’s special bond with Jo that caught the eye of the TV producers.
Viewers tuning in will see Jo and Miller put through their paces across three key challenges – recall, bond and agility skills – with the overall heat winner earning a place in the grand final.
Dog lover and TV and radio presenter Kaye Adams, one of the show’s three judges, instantly took a shine to Miller during filming in Perthshire.
“Kaye Adams was so nice,” said Jo.
“It was crazy to meet someone who you’ve watched on the TV.
“But she was chatting away to me and my sister and said she loved Miller, it was really cool to meet her.”
Canine entourage
In true celebrity style, the pair also had their very own entourage on set in the form of Jo’s sister Victoria Duthie and her husband Cameron as well as Jo’s partner Daniel.
“It was great to have them all there to cheer us on,” said Jo.
“I actually forgot the cameras were there as I was so focused on checking on Miller.
“He doesn’t really get stage fright or nervous though, he was just having a jolly good day with loads of treats.”
Doggy diva
Sworn to secrecy, Jo can’t give too much away about the show but says it was an amazing experience.
“It was a really fun experience and it was really good to put Miller’s knowledge to the test and see how he would react to that kind of set-up,” said Jo.
Back chilling at home, Miller certainly hasn’t let the stardom go to his head apart from some slightly diva-like behaviour if he gets woken up early in the morning.
“He does love his sleep,” said Jo.
“If my partner is getting up for work at 5am, Miller lets out this sigh and will go to my side of the room as he doesn’t want to be disturbed when he’s sleeping.
“He’s not a morning person and he doesn’t like the rain so he makes it clear with his sighing if he’s not happy.
“If it’s bright, sunny and dry then he’s raring to go for a walk.”
And the only other demand Miller has had since appearing in the show is regular trips to his gran and granda’s.
“My gran and granda absolutely love him,” said Jo.
“My gran has got a doggy sweetie cupboard for him.”
To see Miller and Jo in action, tune into BBC Scotland on Thursday November 18 at 8pm.
