I believe that I was put on this earth for a reason. Although it gets to me at times when I find myself crying after I see a grasshopper get hit by bike tires, I just can't help but think that I am suppose to save all animals, bugs, insects and any critter that moves. Karel is use to it by now so when I cry over some 4-legged "friend" he knows to just give me a hug and try to comfort me the best he can. I guess I am a bit sensitive in that area but I can't change the way that I feel. I think we all have our breaking points and well, animals are mine. I must say that I do not force people to be a vegetarian and I do not insist that people give up meat. This is just how I live my life and as long as people respect animals when they are around me then I can associate with anyone....if anything, my favorite restaurant is Outback and I would never turn down a sweet potato and bread just because they serve meat.
On sunday morning after my 60 mile solo bike ride (which was just great after that 1/2 marathon) I rested on the couch as I ate breakfast. Around 12pm I made my way to the apartment pool to enjoy the nice weather and study my microbiology. After about an hour of studying (my limit of "laying out") and talking to Karel on the phone as he was driving back home from Tampa, I decided I would gather my things at 1:30 and head back up to my place.
Around 1:15pm I turned my head and noticed a few young kids who were throwing sticks by the lake (our apartment complex surrounds a lake which is also next to the pool). I didn't think anything of it until I heard a girl tell the three young boys to "stop throwing things at it". Hummm....it???
At this point my animal radar went up and I looked up from my chair to see what the kids were doing. I then heard the young girl say "don't hurt the doggy".
Since there were two other ladies laying out near the pool balcany, I figured I would walk towards them and see what was going on. As I walked toward them I noticed a small little Chihuahua shaking on the side of lake. His paws were covered in dirt and he was scared as can be. I dropped my bag and asked the ladies if they could watch my stuff. I headed around the pool and office to the lake and dropped my towel. In my bikini I stepped down into the bank of the lake and slowly approached the dog. In his defense he was growling and a bit snappy. I like my 10 fingers so I didn't want to touch him and although I like saving animals, I try to be as cautious as possible. Seeing that I am learning all about bacteria in my microbiology class I have a new appreciation for what is in our lakes, food, homes and elsewhere. The dog had a rabies tag on it and with my good eyes I saw an ID number and a phone number. The tag also said Maverick so I started calling him Maverick. To my knowledge, the dog was not Maverick. After calling the "Maverick" clinic (silly me) I was not able to reach anyone until Mon. Also, the clinic is a walk-in clinic and extremely busy so they don't always answer phones or return calls.
After 45 min. of trying to calm down the scared dog I decided I needed to rescue it from whatever conditions it has been in for however long. The other lady was helping me out to figure out what to do and she went and got some meat for it. Apparently it was very hungry. I went up to my apartment and grabbed the travel carrier for Smudla and also grabbed a piece of turkey. I figured it wouldn't like tofu.
I drove my car down to the lake and after about 10 min. of feeding the dog it finally went into the cage. I had to give him a meat path to get into the cage. At this point I still haven't touched him but there was no chopping or barking at me.
I brought him up to my place and Smudla was semi-ok with him. Much better than with my parents cats but she was still a bit concerned over this small little creature in her palace.
I called Karel and explained him the situation after telling him that we have a visitor for the night. He was happy that I saved him and he said he would pick up some doggy food for him. I gave him some water in the carrier but I didn't want him to run around our apartment and get our place dirty with who knows what so I kept him in the cage. After about 20 min. Karel called me again and told me to let him out in the bathroom and I decided that would be good. After I did that, he was wimpering to get out and I finally decided to go in and pet him. He was so good and all he wanted was to be loved. At this point I wasn't that worried that he was a mean dog but ultimately all I wanted to do was find his owners so that they wouldn't be worried.
I really wanted to let him out and run around so I found Smudla's flea shampoo and I gave him a bath. He did ok for the bath but boy he was happy when I was finished. He is a fast little guy and he jumped on the bed and went to sleep on our pillows. He was just doing too many cute things that I couldn't help but like this little guy.
As he was sleeping, I started calling different clinics to see if anyone could help me out with his ID tag but they all said that the Maverick clinic was the only way I could find an owner. I would have to wait til mon morning to call so I was happy that I could enjoy this little friend for a night.
However, when Karel came home he instantly fell in love with him. The doggy was sleeping with me on my lap as I studied and just making himself at home on every comfortable spot in our place. Smudla was still taking her time to introduce herself but she tried sniffing him a few times. The dog doesn't bark unless he wants attention or if Karel comes in the room. What a good watch dog. He slept with me on the couch all night (I went to the couch cause I couldn't sleep last night) and I'm sure he enjoyed sleeping in an air-conditioned apartment as oppose to outside in the muddy lake.
Although we are both enjoying this dog, it is Karel who is truely falling in love with him. Karel named him noodle because well, he is a little noodle :)
This morning I called the clinic from 8-9pm, trying to get ahold of someone. I also called our apartment complex to see if anyone has mentioned about a lost dog. I left a message at the Maverick clinic and after over an hour of calling, I finally spoke with someone.
I was told that the dog has an ID tag for a poodle and the previous owner is a breeder in St. Augustine (which is a good hour from us). I called the guy who matched the ID and no one answered. I hope that this dog can stay with us in its new home. As anyone knows, Karel and I are not only responsible people but we have a lot of love to give. Our little noodle is really enjoying himself at our place. However, if he does have owners I hope that they have a good home for him and he is loved more than we love him already. I do not want the owners to worry about him and I am trying my best to find out who's dog this is, but I just don't understand how someone can not be posting signs, talking to people and just doing everything possible to find their dog??? The clinic even said no one reported the dog missing. I really don't know what else to do and I don't want to "steal" anyone's dog. But for now, I will continue my search as Karel and I play babysitters to our "new" dog :)
I will keep everyone updated but for now, enjoy the pics...
