I met Odie when he was 9 weeks old. He was the runt of his litter and was malnourished, with bald spots. I asked the lady how much she wanted for him as I held his tiny, bony body in my arms. She looked at him and told me I could take him for free. This boy stunk to high heavens, so I immediately gave him a bath, only to realize that he was full of fleas. 3 baths, a flea treatment, and thorough combing later, he was bug free and only smelled a little bit.
I wanted to name him something that meant guardian or protector and settled on Odin, God of War and death and poetry.
Odie is a black lab. I wanted a larger dog to help me with my anxiety, but Odie had far worse anxiety than I did. It took a few months to get him comfortable enough outside to go on a walk.
One day, while walking to a friend's house alone, I realized that I didn't second guess going on that walk at all. Helping Odie with his anxiety ended up helping me with mine.
They say you don't know love until you have a child. I say you don't know unconditional love until you have a dog.
Prince Albert, Canada
