Furry Philosophy : February 2020

"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.