Meet Odin

When my husband and I moved at the beginning of the year, we went from a tiny place in the middle of Little Rock to a sprawling 2.5 acres, located in a tiny community outside of Little Rock. We absolutely love the house, the space, the neighbors, even the little pond across the road that attracts giant, man-eating bugs of all varieties. But, as previously discussed, I'm not a "can be safely left alone" kind of girl, so the husband and I contemplated getting a big dog to keep me safe, and out of trouble.

A few weeks ago, my nephew and sister were at Sonic in her hometown (about an hour and a half from me), and came across a dog who'd been abandoned. There was something obviously wrong with him, and the pound was there to get him.

My nephew asked if they could help the dog. Naturally, my sister didn't say no. She told the animal control people that she would take him instead. It took her and my nephew and a few bystanders four hours, two Benadryl and two dog tranquilizers (note: this was vet approved!) to coax him into her van to get him to the vet.

Once there, she sent me this picture:

Poor baby!

I felt so bad for him!

And then we found out what was wrong with him. He has five different tick diseases, arthritis, was dehydrated and starving, and was covered in fleas and ticks, sores and bug bites. :(

It broke my heart in tiny, little pieces. The poor baby! How could someone just abandon him to that?!

Anyway, the vet gave him a few shots, prescriptions, lots of instructions, and sent him home with my sister to recover.

Sis recently adopted a crazy puppy, so she couldn't keep him, but we all wanted to help this dog. And I do mean all of us, y'all. Once everyone found out what was happening, half of her hometown was ready to help. While we were trying to sort out where he was going to live, the poor baby wandered off. He was massively drugged, confused, and used to being on his own. My sister immediately went looking for him, and found him being cared for at a local business. He'd stumbled up to them, and instantly passed out.

The day he was rescued

When she got him home again, I told her that SS and I would take him. We live in the country, have plenty of room, and I wanted to help. After work the next day, SS and I headed out to go get him.

I fell in love as soon as I saw him. He came right up to me and let me pet him.

We loaded him up, got all of the instructions, and brought him home. By the time we got him home, he'd fallen in love with me, too. And he had a name: Odin.

So, meet Odin, my new baby.

Hanging out in the yard

He's the most amazing dog.

He follows me everywhere (unless I'm bouncing from room to room to clean, at which point he says to hell with that and just lays down in one room and waits for me to finish). He's housetrained. He responds to all basic commands. He loves to be petted and babied. He gives hugs on command. He dances with me. And he looks after me as if he's been with us forever. No one (person or animal) is allowed near unless you pass his inspection.

He was terrified of the cat for a while (because my cat is a freaking terror) but they're cool now. He gets along great with my two little dogs (who are insane). He loves people, but won't take treats from anyone except for me, sis, or SS. He doesn't bark unless he's excited.

But he has a big case of separation anxiety, and who could blame him? I left him alone in the house for an hour two days after we brought him home, and he ate part of my couch and demolished two sets of blinds. So, the next time I had to go out (to work), I reluctantly put him in his crate. When SS got home two hours later, the poor guy had chewed his way out of the crate, and was so upset!

I felt so awful for him!

We ended up scrapping the crate plan, and got him a running line (or trolley). It's 60ft, and we put him on it while we're at work, and then he comes inside with us when we're home. About a week after we got him, my sister didn't put him on the trolley right. When I got home that afternoon, he was gone.

I was heartbroken!

We spent hours combing the area for him, hanging up posters, enlisting help from the various animal shelters and Lost Pet Facebook groups in this area. I cried all night long. The next afternoon, we got a call from someone who'd found him. He'd made his way all the way across Little Rock to the Big Dam Bridge twenty miles from the house!

Oh. My. Gosh.

I was so happy to get him back home, and so glad he was okay. He was thrilled to be back, too. He doesn't wander too far even to do his business now, and we make a point to triple check his tether before we leave. I also got him tags with my contact information on it as soon as we got him home, and we're taking him to get doggie lo-jacked. No way is he getting lost again!

He goes back to the vet next Tuesday, and I'm so excited to see how things are looking for him. He looks so much better, and already feels so much better. He runs and plays now. He's gained weight. His coat is shiny and soft. The swelling in his joints has gone down. He's an entirely new dog.

Odin now

Isn't he beautiful?

I just adore him, and so does SS. They do boy things together, like watch nerd shows on tv and putter around in the yard. He's definitely my dog though. :)

Anyway, that's the story of how Odin came to be our newest family member and my constant companion.

And if you're wondering about the name, we did, indeed, name him in honor of the God at the center of The Ragnarok Prophesies.

xoxo,

Ayden



Fade - The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book One - On Sale at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million