Campy crossed the rainbow bridge on July 18th, 2024 at the incredible age of 17 yrs and 3 months.

I don’t remember the first few months of my life but I knew from a very early age that I was born for outdoor adventures and to give lots and lots of love. I was found behind a building in Amelia Island, Florida by a nice foster family in September 2008. My foster family called me “Sparky” and they placed me on Petfinder.com in hopes that someone special would let me be part of their family. I was nearing 1 year old and my foster family told me that a potential new mommy would be interviewing for me someday soon. One rainy day, I heard a knock on the door and I knew that the moment had come when I would need to be on my best behavior in order to impress my possible new mommy.

But as soon as this lady walked in the door, I couldn’t contain myself. I was jumping up and down, telling her to take me home because I knew instantly that we would make a perfect match. Just from looking at her, I knew she would give me the active lifestyle that I always wanted. After this lady finished the interview process, I saw that she was about to sign some papers. Again, I couldn’t help myself and I jumped into her lap and curled into a ball and tried everything I could to make sure that she would bring me to her home.

It worked! My new mommy (named Marni) took me outside on a leash and I jumped into her car for our 1 hour drive to Jacksonville, FL. I was a bit nervous so I pooped and peed in her car and I felt bad, but she didn’t seem to mind because she told me that she was my new mommy and she loved me.

Finally, we arrived to my new home and I met my daddy (Karel) and sister Smudla (I have another cat sister, Madison, who I found outside behind a bush, but told my mommy and daddy that she needed to live with us too).

My parents named me “Campy” after Campagnolo which is an high-end Italian bike component. I am an Italian Greyhound, Chihuahua mix so that means I am fast with my long legs but I also have a little attitude when I want to express my opinion. I am very loving but I can be a bit too protective of my mommy so if you try to pet me when I am with my mommy, be sure to ask her first if it is OK!

I’m so lucky to have Marni and Karel as my mommy and daddy. They take me on trips to cycling, running and triathlon events and I get to cheer for my parents and all the inspiring athletes. My favorite hobby, besides moving my furry body outside, is taking the stuffing out of my “bears” especially when I receive one as a present. I really like the expensive ones the most as they are the best ones to rip apart. 

I have the most amazing life EVER! Every day I wake up excited to see what the day will bring. Every day is a lottery winning day and I never take a day for granted. I am happy every day and I never complain. I love to be outside, sleep, eat people food, sleep some more, travel, sleep while traveling, visit my grandparents, go to the doggy park, sleep and of course, RUN!

My mommy told me that she wants to make sure I have the best life ever because I don’t get to live as long as a human life. I get so excited when I get to go somewhere new, play with other doggies (I have small dog syndrome, so watch out big dogs!), run with my mommy or daddy when they finish a run (or bike) and my favorite thing in life is giving unconditional love whenever it’s needed.