Woman discovers elderly dog she adopted to be same one she was given as a child

A woman in Brownsville, Penn. got the shock of her life recently, when a senior Pomeranian-poodle mix she adopted was revealed to be the same puppy she was given as a 10-year-old child over a decade earlier.

As CBS Pittsburgh and the Observer-Reporter in Pennsylvania first reported, Nicole Grimes, 21, was scrolling through Facebook one day and saw a posting about an elderly dog up for adoption. The dog reminded her of one she had been given by her grandmother when she was a child. Back then, four years after she was given "Chloe," her parents had to eventually find the dog a new home. Grimes' father, who often worked from home, was employed in customer service, and Chloe's frequent barking was too distracting.

Grimes holds no resentment towards her parents, but told "The Today Show" that, "I was really sad because I loved the dog."

When she saw the ad on Facebook for this similar-looking dog, whose elderly owners had recently passed, she decided to take her in "on a whim."

Keep clicking to view the most popular dog breeds in the U.S. in 2016, according to the American Kennel Club.



10. Boxer

Personality: fun-loving, bright and active Keep clicking to view the most popular dog breeds in the U.S. in 2016, according to the American Kennel Club.



10. Boxer

Personality: fun-loving, bright and active Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close Woman discovers elderly dog she adopted to be same one she was given as a child 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

The oddest part of it, she recalled in an interview with the BBC, was that the dog had the same name as her puppy did — Chloe — and was the same age her dog would be now. Grimes had a suspicion that the dog might be the same one, but wasn't sure until she met the pup in person.

"When she was dropped off she came running up to me and was licking my face," she said. "Then I knew in my heart that she had to be the same dog."

Still, understandably, Grimes' husband was skeptical. The two took this new Chloe to get her chip scanned at a nearby veterinary clinic, and after that, Grimes' mother, Michelle Bush, cross-checked the number the vet tech found with records from their local Humane Society. The results were what Grimes already suspected: This was her childhood "best friend."

"(Chloe) is a little smaller and has no teeth," Grimes told the BBC, "but she still loves to run around."

She's also less yappy these days, which is particularly fortunate for the couple, who recently had a baby girl.

"I felt like I won the lottery," Grimes told "Today." "I never thought I'd see her again."

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.



