Oddie the “Broken Dog”

This is our rescue dog “Oddie”. Our family rescued him on my birthday after Jake crossed over Rainbow Bridge. Oddie was actually supposed to be a Golden Retriever. John and I were driving up to Seattle to rescue one. By the time we got to Seattle, another couple was at the same rescue. The young couple had also lost a Golden, much younger than Jake. We let them have the Golden because it was the right thing to do.

While we were in Seattle, John and I found Oddie at another Rescue. We were told that Oddie was a sweet dog but had some issues. He was “broken”. Oddie was given 3 Prozac’s a day and was confined to a small foster home. While the owners were at work Oddie jumped out of the front window. The foster family could not keep him.

We rescued Oddie and brought him home. The very first day in our home Oddie ate my favorite leather boots; dug a hole so big it went down to the sprinkler pipes and knocked over our daughter’s fish tank. We questioned whether we had made the right decision.

The first thing I did was take Oddie to our vet to get him off the Prozac. Then John ran a DNA test on Oddie to find out what he really was. It turned out that Oddie is part Malamute, Chow, Dog De Boudreaux, and Border Collie. That explained a lot. Each of those breeds are working dogs. When a working dog is not stimulated or given a job, they will create one.

I began walking Oddie 3 times a day and socializing him to other dogs at the dog park. I enrolled Oddie in the Good Canine Citizen class at 4 Paws Dog Works. However Oddie was more interested in the Agility class.

Agility class was just what Oddie needed. It stimulated his mind and gave him the opportunity to run. Oddie passed Agility 1 and continued to advance to Agility 2&3. At the end of Agility 3, I could continue to Competition Agility or train to be a Search and Rescue Dog. I had to put everything on hold because Oddie was running faster than me. I needed knee surgery.

Oddie stayed by my side all during my recovery and is now a wonderful companion to our family. Oddie never leaves my side. He is no longer a “Broken Dog.” With Love and patience any dog can be rehabilitated.