ROONEY AND JOIE
When Maggie Milner, took on the
mantle of president and CEO
of the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of
Commerce following Roddie Anne
Blackwell’s retirement at the end of 2020
after serving the chamber for 40 years,
she brought with her two new furry
ambassadors – Rooney and Joie.
The scruffy wire-haired terrier mix
is Milner’s “old man” even though he
just turned 5. “Rooney’s just rough and
scruff, and huffs and puffs and grunts
and grumbles like an old man,” says
Milner. “He is a true mama’s boy and has
been my shadow since the day I got him.”
Rooney was four months old when
Milner found him through the Animal
50 LAKE OCONEE LIVING | SUMMER 2021
Rescue Foundation in Milledgeville.
Last year, she adopted Joie from another
foster home there. After a year of adjustment,
Milner says she’s overcoming
issues stemming from abandonment and
abuse. “She’s a protector, but once she’s
comfortable with you, she just settles
down and wants to curl up with you.”
On most day, the two rescues join Milner
at the new Chamber offices across
from the courthouse in downtown Eatonton.
“When I bring them, they sniff
everything out and go visit Michael and
Lacey and then settle in my office,” says
Milner. She says they also love to sit by
the large windows out front, watching
life go by in the “Briarpatch.”