Judging by reader response, much of South Philly fell in love with the 4-year-old pure Labrador named Noel who was featured in an article last month.
Among the most smitten were the dog’s rescuers, Raymond and Lisa Godfrey.
The couple will end up caring for Noel, but they’ll have some help from another pet lover.
The Godfreys, of the 1000 block of Jackson Street, had rallied the community to leave food and blankets for the cream-colored dog while she remained marooned under the Interstate-95 overpass. Noel finally followed another dog home on Christmas Eve.
Although the Godfreys originally thought a home without animals would be most suitable for Noel, she has developed a bond with their 5-year-old dog, Toby.
"Toby has become her voice," Raymond said. "He has become attached to her."
Suzanne Van Dooser, of the 2600 block of South Colorado Street, will help care for Noel, but the dog will remain living with the Godfreys.
"It’s not good for her to go from one house to another," Raymond said.
Van Dooser will dog-sit, visit and walk Noel whenever needed, he added.
The USAirways employee said she has found this opportunity to be a perfect match. After visiting the Godfrey house, she realized the uncanny connection between Toby and Noel.
"Toby is the boss dog, who’s so tolerant and patient. But Toby and Noel have a connection on another level," Van Dooser said.
She said she is happy to have some involvement in tending to the rescued canine.
"Even though I didn’t get to keep her, it still was a happy ending."
Another happy ending occurred New Year’s Day for an abandoned cat stuck inside a sewer tunnel.
Michelle Vogel, her 11-year-old son, Richard, and fianc�, Richard Weaver, helped save the cat from the confines of a sewer at Lawrence and Ritner streets. Vogel originally had called the Fire Department, but discovered firefighters were no longer in the cat-rescuing business. She feared the cat would freeze before it could be rescued by animal-welfare workers, who would not be back in the office for two days.
Her son saved the day by climbing into the tunnel with a ladder to lure the cat out with food.
The cat’s new owner is Mariah, an 11-year-old girl from the area who first heard the feline’s cries for help.
