A few days after Koa passed, I started looking at dogs that were available for adoption. I wasn’t ready yet to adopt another dog — but in quarantine my house felt very lonely. OK, let’s be honest, it wasn’t my house that was lonely, it was me. I missed the tippy tap of toes on my hardwoods, couch snuggles and and excuse to go for a walk.

Adopting a dog, in Colorado, during the height of the pandemic, was harder than purchasing a home or finding a job. Like the housing market, there was little inventory and very high demand. I spent hours scouring the depths of the inter webs to find my next puppy friend.

Often, by the time I saw the available dog, there were already 10+ applications. Most rescue agencies also require you to fill out as much paperwork and verification as purchasing a home. One place needed my HOA CCRs (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions) to ensure that my community allowed pets! I live in a single family home and not a condo, so the requirement seemed over the top.

I appreciate the depths into which these agencies ensure that you are a honorable pet parent and these requirements are meant to ensure that you don’t return the pet and/or mistreat it in some way — there should be the pet parent version of TSA pre-check to speed up this process.

About a month of near constant searching, I found two dogs that suited my fancy. One I was first in line for and the second had just come available after the first person in line met the pup and declined. So on the same day, I had two dogs vying for my attention.

When thinking about what kind of dog I wanted next, I couldn’t decide if I wanted a larger dog that could also be my running buddy, or if I wanted to stick with smaller chihuahua sized pups. In fact, several of the first dogs I applied for were much larger than the 10lbs furry Koa. You know when people say “no decision, is a decision”? Well, that is definitely true and the universe will deliver just what you need.

This is Taffi, she was up for adoption along with her two puppies found living as strays on the streets of Houston. We don’t know how many puppies Taffi had, but she only had two with her when they were rescued. It’s possible she only had two puppies, chihuahua liters are usually smaller (fewer puppies) than other dogs. She looks a bit sad here, and I’m happy to report that a family did end up adopting her. I don’t know where she is now, but I’m hoping she is snuggled up on a couch with humans who love her.

After applying for several larger dogs and a few panic attacks, I opted to go back and apply for smaller dogs. One reason being, I’m tiny and I wanted to be able to pick the dog up if needed in an emergency.

After meeting “Tazo” I was smitten, he was a little bit shy and the foster mom even warned me, that he may not come up to me. He takes a while to suss out the situation before allowing you to get close.

He was very energetic, running around the shady backyard with a toy – but always had his eye on us. While I was giving attention to his mom, he came over, sat down and watched me. He then decided I must be OK and let me pick him up and pet him. When people say “thank you for choosing me” it’s very true. I felt like he chose me that day to be his human.

Most shelters give the dogs temporary names and you can give the pup any name you want after you’ve adopted them. Koa’s rescue name was “Tru”, which I always thought was weird, but he ended up being a perfect Koa. Obviously, I had to give this little guy a Hawaiian name, and I also wanted it to be less common (like all parents of single children). I landed on Havika, which is a version of Kawika, meaning “beloved”.

Given the size of Taffi, I thought I was getting a 10-12lb chihuahua and this dog, his legs kept getting longer! I’d text friends saying “he’s gotten TALLER 😭” I thought he would stop growing at some point…he did, but not until he reached 27lbs! I was so perplexed. What kind of monster attacked the tiny chihuahua known as Taffi to deliver to me a giant 27lb chihuahua?

The suspense was lifted once I ordered one of those doggy DNA tests. He turns out to be 47% chihuahua, 16% cattle dog, and 15% cocker spaniel. Not what I was expecting! Most people think he’s a puppy German Shepard, min pin or doberman. These DNA tests are very cool, you will be matched to other dogs that share DNA and find family members if they’ve also done the same brand of DNA testing.

In retrospect, a 27lb-very-high-energy pup was the exact companion I was looking for, even though I didn’t know it. He got me out of the house on long runs, loved to snuggle and kept me on my toes. I didn’t know that I really wanted a running buddy, until I had the best running buddy. He doesn’t talk and runs whatever pace I want.

He’s been a little hard to train, as he’s not food motivated, but we’ve come to an understanding and I can usually tell what he needs/wants by the time of day and the way he looks at me. I love that one ear flops to the side while the other flops forward. I love that he loves to be under the covers. I love that he loves to chase bunnies, birds, airplanes and squirrels. I love that when he chews a bone, he has to sit on top of me, with his but towards my face. It’s weird, but funny.

Our journey since that day has been a little rocky (he was a puppy after all!), but we’ve grown to know and love each other. I think Koa would be annoyed with Havika, but glad I found someone to run and snuggle with, and our story continues with many adventures to come.