"Let others believe you are dead if they
desire; But I want no part of it for as far as I'm concerned, you are vitally
alive and just as much the 'old pal' now as ever. It could not be otherwise, I
know too much about the expanse of the real you." J Allen Boone
Even though his furry earthly body left on my birthday, January 30, and he is not here to snuggle, the real Odin J will live forever. I will dedicate my life to honoring him and his messages.
Over fifteen years ago my daughter, Paige, saw his face on Petfinder and that was it. My heart was stolen. We had to adopt him. A poor little boy left to freeze in the snow, taken to a foster home where the children were not nice, and he was not in great condition.
I've told many people, when I work with them,
and their dogs, we have to celebrate our dogs for who they are. I believe every
being is brought into our lives for a reason. Odin's was to be my teacher. He reacted
with children and fast movement. He forced me, to educate myself more. He taught
me to look deeper to find ways, to help him and other dogs.
I am so glad dogs are
forgiving. At first, I went the wrong direction. Did I once do an alpha roll?
Yes, sadly, I admit it. Did it work? NO!
It made it worse. I spent 15 years expanding my knowledge. I took classes,
seminars, and reading to help him. I believe this is how we became closer than
any other being I've ever encountered. Odin taught me, that taking time, having
patience, and learning what he needed to make scary situations better was what made
it easier.
When we started doing this, he
soared. I look back at our videos together now and he watched my every move, we
achieved an incredible bond and shared a dance. I believe that can only be
achieved with pure love and trust and having FUN together.
Odin went on to achieve greatness.
He won many first prize ribbons at rally trials and earned his Advanced Canine
Good Citizen, his AKC trick performing title, and at the age of fourteen, he
became a Champion trick dog. I don't believe titles are the do all end all, but
for a little rescue reactive dog, he overcame so many obstacles. We had so much
fun together achieving these goals. I believe that his most important lesson he
left was for me is to help other dogs live their best lives by telling his story
and helping dogs and their humans understand each other better. I have hundreds
of stories about this boy. All so priceless to me. You can read a lot of them
on my blog furryphilosophy.blogspot.com or in my book, “Furry Philosophy and
Memoirs Set in Stone.”
So many happy memory videos.
If you would like to see a few. This is my favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxhpOt81yRY You can
also go to YouTube and type in Odin J. DMWYD or AKC trick performance title.
Odin was an angel to other
dogs. He has helped shy dogs at classes I taught overcome their fears by just
being sweet and kind. He was referred to as “Uncle Odin” and other’s said, “my
puppy’s first best friend”.
He is very missed by my grand-puppy and his
sister kitty, Raven. He was always kind to rescue squirrels and ducks. He is
missed by so many. The outpouring of love has been a tremendous help to me and
such an honor to his name.
When it was the end of his
life, my heart broke. I sobbed like no other. I felt it from the depths of my
soul. When you bond with a creature that much it's the hardest goodbye you've
ever felt. He will always be alive as far as I'm concerned in my heart, and in
many ways to come. He will be honored, and his name will live on by helping
other dogs live their best lives.
I love you Odin J. I am
thankful for every lesson you taught me and for being my teacher. You are my
heart and my soul, and always will be.
Alexis, the talented director
at Muskegon Humane, designed a graphic that I am having made into a car sticker
with Odin’s message. It's a fundraiser for Muskegon Humane. To order, please
contact me via info below. Cost $5 each. Look for “Odin J’s Helping Dog’s Live Their
Best Lives” group on face book. It would be an honor to him, when you can use
his hashtags #helpingdogslivetheirbestlives #odinj
 |
| This will be the sticker in Odin's memory |
As one of my favorite
philosophers, a wise ol’ bear named Winnie the Pooh states, “How
Lucky I Am To Have Something That Makes Saying Goodbye So Hard.”
MY heart is touched by the outpouring of love that has been sent to me in honor of Odin J.
I am so grateful. Thank you to each and every one of you. Every note, every way to honor him has been a priceless gift. Love you all <3
 |
| So thankful to have found a wonderful woman Patricia from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClbxtK5POcV6AYx4fptTrLA to spin Odin' fur into yarn She was so sweet and talented ! I am designing with Kimmy from Sun Stoners https://www.facebook.com/groups/408163633188283/ to make a bracelet with the yarn. She does wonderful custom work and is also so sweet to work with. I am very fortunate. |
 |
| So thankful to Clock Timeless Pets https://www.clocktimelesspets.com/ for their care with my boy and to my friend Char for the angel to watch over him. |
 |
| Helen and Janet send love |
 |
| Jill and Meem send love too |
 |
| My amazing friends at Companion Animal Veterinary shared love and comfort food. I cannot thank them enough for the love and care they provided |
 |
| I am so thankful to Paula for this honor to Odin J. and Christine for a donation in his name also. |
