Noodle • Old Dog Haven

Noodle, a very small Maltipoo mix (?) was left a stray at a local shelter – intact, dirty and matted. No one came for him. The shelter neutered him and removed his bladder stones and then Noodle spent one month in a shelter foster home recovering. Because he had a pretty significant heart murmur, still needed a dental and would need constant monitoring for recurring bladder stones, the shelter felt he was not a good candidate for adoption and reached out to Old Dog Haven for help. An established ODH Final Refuge home was happy to have Noodle, so this lucky little guy now lives with two other ODH seniors (Harvey and Choko), the resident dog Sam, three cats and seven chickens (who have their own house).

Noodle’s ODH mom tells us, “Noodle entered our family just like he always belonged. He ignored the cats and they were not afraid of him. He gets along great with the other dogs and they accepted him the same way we humans have!” Little Noodle came to their home very fearful of being touched by people he does not know and they’ve been working with him, gradually teaching him that touch is okay. With patience, they can now clean around his eyes with only an occasional lip curl and their mobile groomer was able to give him a full groom recently. With time, his people think he will learn to trust again.

Noodle was initially pretty skinny and his ODH people were told that he was a picky eater. With a little trial and error, they worked out the best prescription food for him and think that before long he’ll be at his target weight. Now that he is eating the right food, his fur has improved and he has more energy: “It’s sometimes hard to believe that he’s a senior with health issues! Noodle sleeps on the human bed with everyone else and has to touch a human at all times, if we move over, he moves over. He is amazing on a leash and minds pretty well – he really wants to please. Noodle has turned into a little dog with a great big bark and he lets you know when anything happens, the dryer goes off, the window blinds clank in the breeze. No one will ever sneak up on us!” Noodle’s people are grateful that he did not end up in an apartment, as they live in the country and his barking doesn’t bother anyone. The resident dog Sam is happy about it, because he’s a barker too!

“We love this little guy so much and hope that we will have many years with him thanks to Old Dog Haven and the medical care he is able to receive because of donations by caring people.”

Update from Noodle’s Mom:

“This morning we said goodbye to Old Dog Haven foster dog Noodle. He had heart disease and seemed to be doing fine until two weeks ago when he started being short of breath when he ran, which then became fainting. We thought we were okay and would just need a change of meds but when he started having seizures along with the collapsing/fainting and it took longer to recover from each event, with help from ODH, we made the hard decision.

“He was my velcro dog, where I was, so was he. Words can not express how much we will miss him, he was a unique, quirky, loveable little guy who did things his way, always. I am comforted by knowing he crossed the bridge before he suffered, in my arms recieving kisses on his punkin’ head. Run free my little man, till we reunite.

“Noodle was estimated to be about 15, he was a stray so we don’t know his exact age but his life began when Old Dog Haven brought him to us and gave him a new life. He was in our care from 7-27-2019 to 6-3-2022.”

Noodle when he first arrived at the shelter.

Noodle napping