Dogs can sniff out things humans can only dream of -- treats in the cupboard, a squirrel down the block, that noodle that's been behind the stove for six weeks -- but it turns out, they also have a knack for sniffing out Rad bikes.
Such is the case of one special pup -- a very good girl whose lucky run-in with a pair of Rad riders led to her finding her forever home.
Michelle Whitis and her husband Mike were taking their RadMinis for a spin around Forth Worth, Texas, a few weeks ago when they noticed a wide-eyed, excited boxer-mix puppy chasing after them.
“She loved the ride. Her were ears flapping in the wind, she couldn’t stop smiling,” Michele told us.
But after flagging down a few neighbors in the street, no one seemed to know where she came from.
As dusk started to come, the Whitis family realized that leaving her behind wasn’t an option, especially since there were fast-passing cars on the road.
So rather than letting their new four-legged acquaintance fend for herself, they swooped her up and rode with her all the way home. Before they reached the driveway, Michelle had settled on a very apt name.
"Since she was little and riding a RadMini, we decided to call her 'Little Rad Riding Hood,'” she explained. “Now she goes by Rad for short.”
After placing calls to the local animal shelter to see if there were any reports of lost dogs in the area, the Whitis’s decided to foster Little Rad until they could find a family to adopt her.
She quickly got acquainted with the family's other two dogs, a 9-year-old English bulldog named Big Boy and a 7-year-old Aussie named Abby, and quickly discovered her calling as a lap dog.
Needless to say, Rad made quite an impression on the Whitis's, both as a passenger on their weekend rides and as a houseguest.
“She’s just so perfect, especially for a puppy,” Michelle said.
This week, Little Rad joined her new lifelong family. According to Michelle, Rad and the family's 5-year-old boy have already hit it off, with both of them discovering that they love chasing each other.
Even though finding Rad a full-time fam was always the Whitis’s biggest hope, saying goodbye was certainly bittersweet.
“It was really tough giving her up,” Michelle admitted. “But we sent her favorite squeaky toy with her!”
It just goes to show, you never know what’s right around the corner. New friends come in all shapes and sizes, and great things can happen when you have a big heart (and ride Rad).
