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Noodles has a name....

And an owner.

First off, I want to tell everyone how great it felt to read so many nice replies about Noodles. Thank you for being so kind and warm about my little rescue dog. In a good but bad way I have some news to bring to your attention.

After a full day of loving Noodles, I finally came to terms with this little doggy and I had to call him my own. I was worried about getting too attached to him and then having to give him to his real owner (if there was one) but with Karel just loving Noodles to death, it wasn't hard for me to fall in love with him as well. On tues morning, after calling everywhere possible to locate this dog's owner, I convinced myself that this dog was meant to be with me.
After visiting Karel at work on Tuesday (with noodles) I went home and googled some animal clinic's in our area. It took me a good 15 min to find a clinic that would be perfect for noodles and I finally picked one.
I called the clinic and told them I was the proud owner of a little dog that I found in the lake and rescued. I explained to her my situation of not being able to find the ownders and I asked the lady on the phone what I should do for his first check-up and she said she would get Noodles in the system before making an appt.
She asked about Noodles, what kind of dog he was (Chihuahua), his color (brown) and if he was a male or female (Male). After telling her the details of Noodles, she paused for a minute and asked if he had a blue 2005 rabies tag on his collar.
I said: Yep.
She replied: A lady just came in and reported a lost dog. She was crying and searching for her Chihuahua named Chino.
I replied: He has a recognizable collar, did she say anything about it?
She replied: It is a black spike collar.
At this point, my heart dropped to the floor. The tears didn't start at that moment but I told the lady on the phone if she had the number to Chino's owner. I told the lady at the clinic that I would call the owner and let her know that I had her dog.

It was only a few seconds after hanging up the phone that I called Karel and the tears started pouring out of my eyes. I had to tell Karel that I Noodles was Chino and that I was about to call his real owner. Karel was sad. More sad than I had expected, seeing that I was just a mess. I tried not to get attached but I did. And when I realized Chino would no longer be in our home, I just about lost it.
I pulled myself together after talking with Karel for about 15 min and telling him that I would call the owner. I didn't even have to think twice about calling the owner because I know that I wouldn't want to be in that situation of looking for my lost pet. I became so attached to this dog since I saw him in the muddy corner of the lake and I really took him in like my own for the two days that I was with him. I could wait to get home after school and I just felt like I had something that was missing in my life. I just felt that with Karel by my side, this dog was a great addition to our family.
I pulled myself together and called chino's owner. She was crying, I was crying (hiding it of course) and I told her I had her dog. Long story short, she was out of town for two days (hence why it was tuesday when she found out her dog was missing and didn't report it sooner). A friend of hers was watching the dog at his apartment and when he let the dog out around noon, Chino chased a cat and ran away. The dog-watcher did not tell her about the missing dog for 15 hours!!!! He tried looking for him but no luck. Finally, he decided to tell her. I felt really bad for her since she was thinking that the dog was dead or lost. The more that I thought about it, Chino traveled over an hour (by foot) to get to my apartment complex. He is really lucky to be alive and to not be hit by a car. She happened to call the newspaper to report her missing dog and she even drove to the clinic I called to report the missing dog. I can't believe that that one clinic I called was the one clinic she went to. I guess it was meant to be.
As I was waiting for the lady to come, Karel had come home. He said he was too sad to stay at work and I don't blame him. I think there are times when it just isn't fair to stay at work and although you feel like you "have to" don't put yourself through the stress of just trying to fake your emotions. If you can get away and be with those who you love, I believe that there are certain times (few of them) when people should just say "I can't be here right now".
I was very happy Karel came home and I just cried in his arms until the lady came.
About an hour later the lady arrived at my complex and I knew it was time to give back Chino. When Chino and her owner reunited, Karel and I knew we did the right thing. Although Chino was happy with us, we like to think that he was on vacation. Just a different place with different people. It was time for him to go home. The lady offered us a reward but we couldn't take it. We new this was the right thing to do and we just wanted to let her know that we took very good care of her dog.

As Karel and I walked up to our place we talked through our emotions. Why did this happen? What are we suppose to take away from this?
Karel told me that we did the right thing and this was just practice for us. He said he never thought he would care for a dog like he cares for cats but he knew how much I wanted a dog and how happy I was with him. Just as we walked inside our place, Karel said the unexpected to me "Marni, lets go to the Human Society and get our own dog. One that is our own and one that can stay with us".
I told Karel that I needed a day to take everything in and he wanted to go right then and there. See, Karel and I have two different personalities when it comes to thinking things through. In most circumstances, I am very rational but I also over-think everything. It takes me a long time to come to a conclusion and I think through all sides, situations, pros and cons. Karel comes to conclusions quickly, decides to do something new last minute and well, he isn't as "planned out" as I am. I think we balance each other out very well because when I am thinking things through he is helping me come to a decision. And when Karel decides something last minute, I am there to look at the pros and cons. It really does work well for us and as I mentioned, this is just in some circumstances. When it comes to things like expenses we always think things through together. However, some things in life just feel right and I guess this felt right.
We headed to the Human Society and we were on the lookout for a Chihuahua. We never thought that we would like a dog like that (for our lifestyle) but we knew it wouldn't be good for us to have a big dog. We had no luck at the Human Society but they told us to try PetFinder.com to look for a dog.
We really wanted a rescue dog and we are totally oppose to a "pet shop" dog so when we got home Karel was on the search for our dog. I had to do a little studying for my microbiology exam which was on wed but I was just too heartbroken, overwhelmed with emotions and tired to fill my brain with biochemistry and virus's (luckily, I pulled through and I received a B on the exam). Karel made a list of about 10 dogs that he found and wrote down their names, the email for contact and where they were located. But before Karel made his list, I jumped on the computer briefly and just googled Chihuahua in Jacksonville for sale.
I came across an add for "Sparkey" who was a rescue dog who was found outside a building and brought in to the STARS shelter in Amelia Island. I called Pat (who had Sparkey) and left a message. After an hour or so of searching for dogs, I received a phone call from Pat. She went on and on and on about this wonderful dog and how special he was. He was a Chihuahua greyound and just the most loving, kind, calm and caring dog. I was just falling in love with him immediately but I told her I wanted to think it through overnight. Plus, with her being an hour away I wanted to make sure we made the best decision possible. Also, with this dog being so special to his foster parents, she wanted to be sure I gave him a good home.
After talking things through with Karel we decided that Thurs would be the day to go up and I could introduce myself to her and meet Sparkey.
On wed morning, as I was doing a little last minute cramming for my exam (I didn't even run that morning I was so tired and just exhausted from everything) Karel told me he feels like Sparkey is the one and I need to go get him that afternoon.
Oh Karel, so ready for everything. But in this case, I went with it.
I called Pat in between my two classes and she said it would be fine to come up and see him later that day. At this point, Karel and I were convinced that we were the new owners of Sparkey and we couldn't wait to bring him home.
So, to make the story short since my fingers are tired and I have a tired puppy on my lap, I want everyone to meet CAMPY!!! I just LOVE him.
(Karel says he looks nothing like shifters or a derailleur but I figured campy is a great name for a dog who will spend many weekends at races).

He is 11.5 pounds, full grown and 18 months old. He doesn't bark, he isn't wild (unless we are playing) and he comes when I call his name. He is a very special dog and we love him so much.



(Look at those long legs!!!)