Ooooodles and Oooodles of Wonderful Noodles

We got a dog. A very little dog. A wonderful dog. Her name is Noodles. She's adorable. I was unsure about getting a new dog. Our dog Emma died in January and I still miss her just as much as I did the day we lost her. I'm used to having her gone now, but I don't think I'll ever get used to the Emma sized hole in my heart. But we had a dog sized hole in our house, and it was time to fill that with some warm, furry, wiggling pup.

I knew that if I just went browsing a the local shelter I would come home with a very large, very old dog with behavior problems who was on major medication. My heart is still so raw, I wouldn't have been able to say "no" to big brown eyes and hopeless stories. But this time in the pet market we have some specific needs: I don't think I could handle losing another dog anytime soon, so an old dog was not a good idea. I live with four males. I need a little female energy in the house, so a girl dog was a must. And our lives are so far flung and will probably become more so as the kids grow up and move away, so a dog that could easily travel with us was also important--under 15 pounds so she could fit under the seat of a plane was my benchmark. Picky.

We wound up going through Petfinder and found a little black furry angel ball. We brought her home yesterday and she's already claimed us as her family. Our oldest son said "She's gonna think she doesn't need her legs anymore, you all are carrying her around so much!" So? We gave her a bath, she was "supposed" to sleep in her crate last night but it never even made it in from the garage. She slept with us. In the morning it was just the two of us up, getting ready for work, and she was whining, looking around. I think she knew that there were other people that were supposed to be here, but she didn' t know yet where to look for them. So I took her up stairs and showed her where they were sleeping. Everyone got woken up with a wiggling fur ball bounding on them and licking their face! "OH! THERE you are!" It's been heavenly.



I knew that I needed a dog in the house, but I didn't realize how much everyone else does, too. I can't remember the last time I've seen my husband smile and laugh so much. And I see some "My Dog Skip" type moments with the youngest two. Even the oldest who isn't much of an animal person says "cute little dog" when she tickles his ankles with her whiskers. She's a love, noodling her way right into everyone's heart.

Never underestimate the power of a warm little fur ball of love! Life's good!