But owners Bob and Meg Sutton, Hakataramea Valley, and the veterinarian who treated her, Dave Robertson, of Oamaru Veterinary Services, are amazed at how the 4-year-old has bounced back after suffering second and third degree burns to about 20% of her body and undergoing reconstructive surgery.
"She's a super mum," Mr Sutton said about Millie, who has been his companion around the farm virtually every day since they got her as a pup.
"She's come through this amazingly well.
''She's a pretty neat dog," Mr Robertson said.
Only a few hours after her ordeal, she was sitting on the front seat of Mr Robertson's car with a drip bag attached to the headrest, feeding her pups and licking them while he ate his fish and chips.
The vet had not wanted to leave her alone after surgery so put her in his car and took her home.
Millie's ordeal started about five weeks ago when rubbish was being burnt in a bonfire on the Hakataramea farm.
She chased a rabbit into the bonfire on the other side of the flames, getting stuck.
"We dug her out and she was burnt along her right hand side.
''We put her in a trough to ease the burns and then took her down to Oamaru," Mr Sutton said.
That took about an hour, but Millie was calm throughout the trip.
Mr Robertson had already seen Millie while she was pregnant.
When she arrived in Oamaru he gave her an anaesthetic, cleaned up the burns, carried out reconstructive surgery and gave her a blood transfusion because she was very pale.
She was lucky her eyes had not been burnt or her lungs damaged by smoke.
Her belly was also undamaged which meant she could still feed the puppies.
She spent four nights at the veterinary surgery recovering, continuing to feed and care for her pups.
"She was a hit with all the staff, a real natural mother and very trusting," Mr Robertson said.
