On August 14 at 10 pm I lost one of the things I love the most in this life. I lost my little dog Odie. Odie was a small 15lb bundle of joy that I and my wife owed our lives to, literally.
The first time he saved our lives was when we first got him, 14 years ago. He was about one and a half years old according to the Veterinarian and full of life.
My wife and I had been on disability for about a year when he came to live with us. He was a rescue that was found in the mountains of Tennessee. He had lived through the winter by catching game of one type or another.
My wife and I could tell you the time by what tv show we were watching. We were grossly overweight and in declining health.
When Odie arrived, things changed. Every two hours, he demanded a walk. Before long, we started to lose some weight and feel better. We decided to get out and ride bicycles and lose even more weight. The weight loss made us start feeling better. Our doctors at the VA hospital helped us get into a weight loss program. Before long we were wearing decent clothes and were active again. It was all because that little dog got into our hearts and refused to let us die.
The second time he saved our lives was different. We were living in an RV park and had to walk to the office to get out mail. One day my wife and Odie were going to get the mail and one of the people up front had their youngest Rottweiler off leash, and he came at my wife. Odie got between them and threw the bigger dog down on his back and held him there until the woman came and pulled him away.
Two weeks later, on the 4th of July, I was walking Odie and we were going to the pavilion to see someone. Again, those people had both of their Rottweilers off leash. When they came at us, Odie got between me and the other dogs and fought the two of them. They tore Odie’s chest open, but they never got to me. We took him to the Vet. And they said to just keep the area clean and let it heal.
That little 15lb dog was willing to give his life so I could live. Those Rottweilers weighted over 100lbs each. For the remainder of the 14 years he lived with us, his dedication to my wife and I was unmistakable. His one purpose for living seemed to be loving us. He was always with us and when anyone came to the house, He greeted them first and made sure they were safe to let in. There was nothing that could compare to the dedication that little dog had for us.