Tag #24374 - Geo - Best Swag Ever!

Matarial83, jcastria and I set off in search of an area geocache on Saturday, September 1, 2012, about an hour before dusk. We had just turned right into a subdivision off N. Eldridge behind Target when something ran out in front of our car. It was a tiny (and I do mean tiny!) dog. We very nearly hit it. We parked the car and I tried to coax it over to me, but it took off running. It was nearly hit by a passing truck, but matariel was able to flag them down and got them to stop. They drove after (and caught) the little dog, who had taken off down the street. The dog (a fawn-colored male teacup Chihuahua) had no collar, no tags, and was emaciated. The lady that caught him said she couldn't take him home with her, so we agreed to take him with us rather than leave him in the street. We aborted our search for the cache in favor of getting him back to my house, where we gave him some food and water and a bit of a rest while we made some phone calls and posted "found pet" notices online.

A couple of hours after dark the three of us set off again in search of the cache, this time with our new house guest in tow. I had forgotten my caching bag, and I didn't have a flashlight with me, so we opted not to go for the cache. Instead, we drove around and looked for missing pet signs. None were spotted.

I returned to the site the next afternoon with the dog (who happens to be a doppleganger for the dog I had as a pre-teen/teenager). I didn't see any "lost pet" signs, but I was able to find the cache. I signed the log, took some pictures, and fiddled with my phone for awhile while my geo-companion checked out the surroundings and took a short nap in the tall grass.

We visited the vet's office on September 4th, where I learned that the little guy (all 2.6 pounds of him) was neutered, about 7-8 years old, malnourished, and had probably been homeless for awhile.  They scanned him for a microchip, but they didn't find anything.

I've found some awesome swag in my day, but I'd have to say this little fellow is the cutest thing I've ever found while out Geocaching.  I wasn't really in the market for a dog, but the opportunity to adopt a loving, mature, housebroken(!) sweetheart like this only comes along once in a blue moon.  (It was a blue moon the night we found him).

At my sister's suggestion, I'm calling him "Geo".  I had i.d. tags engraved for him in late September, so I guess it's a done deal.  Unless someone comes forward to claim him, Geo will be residing with me.  :)

He has his own travel bug page, so I hope to bring him to some of the outdoor meet-and-greets once the weather gets cooler.  If you meet him, please feel free to "discover" him!  You can also view his travel bug page by searching for TB56HJV in trackables.