Odie

One of the reasons Family Pooch was formed was because of Odie, and I thought it would be a good idea to celebrate his life at this time.

My family was in the Mid-West and were "between" dogs.  Our previous dog Spunky was a border collie (who got out ALL the time, and "herded our neighbors."), which was a lesson on why you need to keep a dog's mind and body engaged.  Our Snuffle Mats probably would have helped, but this bucket of energy kept us on our toes.

Well, now we were in a new home, in a new place, and we needed a pup to make the house a home.  Before we went to the Humane Society, we needed to talk about what type of dog we wanted.

We knew what we didn't want ... Spunky.  We loved him and were sad to see him go, BUT we needed something with a wee bit less energy and didn't make us feel lazy.  We wanted a calm breed and one that was affectionate.  

Since the family outvoted me on Labrador years back, it was my turn and I wanted a Lab.

The day came to go down to the Humane Society, but I was caught up at work, so the family went down first.  I remember how excited they were that they found the perfect pup, and they couldn't wait to show him to me.  All of us went down to look at the dog, and adopt him.  When we got there, however ... I noticed something ...

He looked sort of like a Labrador, but though he was an active, playful puppy that looked like a Lab pup, he was something else.  Looking back at my family's eyes, however, he could have been a kangaroo and we would still be bringing him home.

Odie was a mix who appeared to be part  Corgi, Bassett, and Chow.  Though not a Labrador, he was all love and stole our hearts...

Which was a good thing, since a couple of days later he was diagnosed with Parvo.  This nasty virus has the poor infected dog having problems ... from both ends and commonly will kill them if untreated.  When the Vet told me what the bill would be just for the possibility he could survive ... it broke my heart.  Back then we just didn't have the money.  I swallowed my pride enough o call my parents who lovingly helped with the Vet bill.

He recovered and we had him with us as part of the family for almost 14 years before he passed on.  Our connection to him and the love he brought into the household was just amazing.

In this Christmas season, it is always important to reflect on our blessings, and Odie was one of the major ways God touched our lives!

Merry Christmas!