Odie 06-328

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1/14/07: Happy New Year Odie!

I'm glad you were able to start out the Year 2007 as a RAGOM dog and also very happy that our family has the privilege to foster you and help you find the perfect forever home! We will do our best to find just the right family for you! Let me begin, my beautiful silky black friend, by telling others all about you!

Odie's story began in a small town in Northwestern Missouri in June 2006. He was surrendered to a local animal shelter there. We aren't sure why he started his long journey there. Perhaps he was a stray, or his family could no longer care for him; all we know is that he deserved a chance at a better life and rescue volunteers rallied to transport him 390 miles to Minnesota where he began a brand new life as a RAGOM dog on 8/15/06!

Now you are probably wondering what Odie has been doing for the past five months! Well, so were we, so we did some research. Odie has been at several different foster homes, adopted once, boarded and now available for adoption again! If you think you're confused, think how confused Odie must be! His former foster homes and his adoptive family realized that Odie is like a young man who just got his first car: he wants to explore the world! He will therefore need the safety of a fenced yard and the security of a structured home life so he can mature into the kind of dog that he was meant to be!

Odie is a 5 year old, 50 lb. neutered male who is part Flat-coated Retriever and possibly Border Collie. He has long, silky black fur, brown eyes and pearly white teeth. The Simon and Schuster's Guide Book to Dogs says Flat-coated Retrievers are "obedient, trainable, intelligent, affectionate and patient with children". We have seen these traits in Odie as well as the herding instincts and agility of a Border Collie.

Odie has a lot of spunk all bundled up into a small package! He is active and lively and can keep up with our little Lab in races around our yard! Odie and Katie are kindred spirits and love playing outside. Odie will not be content being a "couch potato"! His forever home should not only have a fenced yard where he can run and play as much as he wants but could have another dog too if the personalities click. Odie is very athletic and fit and could easily excel in agility class! He would benefit from obedience training and learning hand signals because he has a congenital hearing loss.

In conclusion, Odie is a loving, affectionate lively dog who can have free roam of the house while his family is at work or school. He will want to be near his family when they are home but will also need some vigorous outdoor playtime and daily walks. He is up to date on his shots, and has no known health problems, except a hearing loss. He gets along with other dogs and loves everyone he meets! If you would like to meet Odie please contact placementatragom [dot] org. Perhaps you will be the lucky family to make his new life better than he ever dreamed or imagined!

At a Glance #06-328

Mixed Breed Born: March 2002
Male Weight not specified

Status: Deceased

Profile

1/14/07: Happy New Year Odie!

I'm glad you were able to start out the Year 2007 as a RAGOM dog and also very happy that our family has the privilege to foster you and help you find the perfect forever home! We will do our best to find just the right family for you! Let me begin, my beautiful silky black friend, by telling others all about you!

Odie's story began in a small town in Northwestern Missouri in June 2006. He was surrendered to a local animal shelter there. We aren't sure why he started his long journey there. Perhaps he was a stray, or his family could no longer care for him; all we know is that he deserved a chance at a better life and rescue volunteers rallied to transport him 390 miles to Minnesota where he began a brand new life as a RAGOM dog on 8/15/06!

Now you are probably wondering what Odie has been doing for the past five months! Well, so were we, so we did some research. Odie has been at several different foster homes, adopted once, boarded and now available for adoption again! If you think you're confused, think how confused Odie must be! His former foster homes and his adoptive family realized that Odie is like a young man who just got his first car: he wants to explore the world! He will therefore need the safety of a fenced yard and the security of a structured home life so he can mature into the kind of dog that he was meant to be!

Odie is a 5 year old, 50 lb. neutered male who is part Flat-coated Retriever and possibly Border Collie. He has long, silky black fur, brown eyes and pearly white teeth. The Simon and Schuster's Guide Book to Dogs says Flat-coated Retrievers are "obedient, trainable, intelligent, affectionate and patient with children". We have seen these traits in Odie as well as the herding instincts and agility of a Border Collie.

Odie has a lot of spunk all bundled up into a small package! He is active and lively and can keep up with our little Lab in races around our yard! Odie and Katie are kindred spirits and love playing outside. Odie will not be content being a "couch potato"! His forever home should not only have a fenced yard where he can run and play as much as he wants but could have another dog too if the personalities click. Odie is very athletic and fit and could easily excel in agility class! He would benefit from obedience training and learning hand signals because he has a congenital hearing loss.

In conclusion, Odie is a loving, affectionate lively dog who can have free roam of the house while his family is at work or school. He will want to be near his family when they are home but will also need some vigorous outdoor playtime and daily walks. He is up to date on his shots, and has no known health problems, except a hearing loss. He gets along with other dogs and loves everyone he meets! If you would like to meet Odie please contact placementatragom [dot] org. Perhaps you will be the lucky family to make his new life better than he ever dreamed or imagined!

Updates

Friday, December 23, 2016

 

Odie came to us in March of 2007.

A unique dog as he was deaf, but he was unique in so many other ways, as we were to discover over time.

Odie was a very high energy dog. A dozen squirrels who drank Rockstar still wouldn't come close to him! At that time I ran a lot so it was great to take him with. He was very good on leash. He was like this always, gusto! Even in later years he still had it. He never got "old", slowed down some but that's it. The only gray on him was just under the chin!

It took a long time for him to trust us as he had some unfortunate things happen in his early days as a puppy. After a while, he understood that he was in his forever home and that he was loved. He used to drool profusely when he was in the car and that soon stopped as he knew he wasn't being dropped off to someone else! I took him with me all over when running errands. He liked the front seat and I had to be touching him the whole time! When Jan and I were both in the car, it didn't matter who it was, he just had to have that touch....reassurance.

We were given another dog (Golden Retriever- Max) a while later and Odie didn't care for it at first. They figured it out in the way that dogs do....in this case Odie didn't win the dominance contest but he didn't seem to care. He was his own dog and from that day they were best buds. They loved to chase each other and wrestle in the snow. Made us laugh! We lost Max after a couple years to cancer. Odie missed him for a while and later was really good on his own during the day.

Jan and I both had some life challenges in the last several years and Odie was a steadfast part of things, our Rock, if you will. He seemed to know when you were having difficulty because he would come over and want attention or just be touching. Sitting on the feet was a talent of his! He was very in tune with us and always seemed to know the right thing to do, even if sometimes we didn't.

The last few years Jan and I were with him most days as our schedules had changed drastically. Jan was going through chemo and I was out of work. It eventually came to be that he would snuggle up on the couch with us and lay on the bed at night for a while. He had his favorite spot though so he would get up and go there at some point in the night. It was very comforting to feel him next to us and hear him breathing.... and snore! Boy could he snore.....

He absolutely LOVED going out to the MN Renaissance Festival! He was such a beautiful handsome boy. Silky soft, shiny black fur, and a smiley look on his face. He was the recipient of constant attention and relished every moment of it. Some of the cast members remembered his name- they would ask me the next week, "Where's Odie?"

I could write 100 more pages of ways he loved and let us love him and still not convey how deeply he touched us. Mere words cannot do justice to it. He was truly and Angel sent to earth, you just couldn't see his wings. It was originally said we rescued him but I really wonder, who rescued who? It was mutual. We miss him so very much. He came into our lives and gave us his whole heart and when he left, he took a piece of ours with him.

Most times when remembering him, there is a smile that comes. Other times the memories bring an ache to the heart and tears will still fall. He is our loving, black furred soul-mate and will always be a part of us. You were and always will be our one and only "Woobie", because when you were on the couch with us, you were like a nice warm blanket.

We love you Odie, for always, and miss your presence in the home. You made life better in every way possible.

Bob & Jan H.
Eagan, MN

 

Saturday, February 14, 2009

From Odie's forever family...

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to send an update on Odie... He's the deaf, but very bright border collie / Flat coat retriever. Anyone who knows him can recall his seemingly endless supply of energy.... well, THAT has not changed! I did find his limit for a run though.... he's good for about 7 miles, then he'll trail behind about half a leash length, but he loves to go! That boy is a runner!! He loves having a big back yard and his big brother Max (A HUGE Golden)... He does chase the airplanes as they fly across the sky though... hmmmm... must be his good eyesight! LOL!

Although adjusting to a deaf dog did take alot of time and effort, on all parts, it has been very rewarding. He has learned some new signs. He will also actually wait for a signal before he eats... well, 'eat' is too nice, inhale, snarf, or wolf down is more appropriate. He does eat with gusto! With repetition, and a healthy dose of patience, he learns quite well. Odie is truly our happy dog and when excited, and on a linoleum floor, we could swear we are at the auditions for "Happy Feet"!! Not sure how he does it but wow!!!

We have attached a couple of his 'quieter' moments (It is a challenge to do, I swear he can almost feel a camera pointing at him.. )

The "Glowing Eyes" picture is one we took on Halloween just this last fall... it just happened to show these two goblins!!

   
 

Sunday, March 18, 2007

It is with great joy that we announce that Odie has found the perfect forever home! He was adopted today by Bob and Janet. Odie will be able to run and play in their big fenced yard, go jogging with Bob, and snuggle with Janet. He will even go fishing with them this summer. Bob will train Odie with hand signals and keep his active mind challenged. Odie instantly bonded to this wonderful couple and will get all the love and attention that he deserves. You've come a long way Odie boy since your days in a Missouri shelter last summer. You will now have a chance to grow into the kind of dog that you were meant to be under the love and guidance of a very special couple! Good luck Odie! We love you and will miss you!

-Your foster parents Christi and Frank

Odie with new dad and mom, Bob & Janet 

Odie and new dad, Bob

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Odie has been in our home for almost five weeks now and we are learning more about him and loving him more everyday! We discovered that Odie has resource guarding issues with our dogs so we met with a dog behaviorist to discuss this. She said that Odie thinks he "owns" everything in the house, including my husband and me! She gave us a behavior plan to work on so he can learn that if he "guards us" he loses us and we will go into another room and out of sight. The funny thing about Odie's resource guarding is that he is totally fine out in our yard. The three dogs run and chase each other and everyone gets along fine. As soon as we come into the house the dynamics change completely! She said that Odie should be an only dog in his forever home. She also commented how sweet and snuggly he was and said he will make someone a wonderful pet. Odie liked his new friend and sat in her lap while we talked! She also said that resource guarding won't be an issue at all in a forever home where he is an only dog, but he will have to be supervised if visiting pets come over.

Odie is doing very well having a regular schedule and routine in our home. He has a hearty appetite, but does not guard his food from us humans. We feed him while our other dogs are outside so he can relax and slow down while he's eating. He sleeps quietly all night in his crate. Odie is completely housebroken and has never had an accident in the house. He doesn't bark much in the house at all. Odie is more vocal outside if he sees a neighbor's dog, but because he's deaf, he won't react if they are not in view.

If you want a dog who will really love you and be thankful to be by your side then Odie might be the dog for you! Odie is also looking for a very special person who can understand him and help him with his difficulties. Please contact placementatragom [dot] org if you would like to meet Odie.

Odie on the run

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Here is a picture of Mr. Snuggle Bug and me on a very cold Sunday afternoon. Odie LOVES to snuggle and is very affectionate! He follows me all over the house and always keeps me in his sight! We think his vision is really acute to compensate for his hearing loss. He will watch me out of the corner of his eye and the minute I move, he moves too! He may not be a Golden, but he is 100% Velcro.

Whenever we have visitors come over Odie is always happy to meet them. He makes friends easily and likes everyone. He does not jump on people when they walk in the door and sits politely while introduced.

Another great thing we have discovered about Odie is that he LOVES his crate! When he is tired or just needs a quiet place to relax he will go to his crate, put his nose on the door and look at us. He is showing us that he wants to go in for a nap! He kennels up nicely when I leave for work and then at bedtime around 9pm. It must be a little overwhelming at times for him to be around two other dogs in a small house. Sometimes he just wants some time alone! Don't we all!

Odie is a Border Collie mix and comes from a working dog background. Since we live in a suburb and don't have any farm animals for Odie to herd, we asked our resident dogs Robbie and Katie if they would "pretend" to be sheep. It is working out great for everyone! Odie stands alert, head down, and puts on the Border Collie "stare". I throw the tennis balls, Robbie and Katie run, and Odie herds my dogs while they retrieve! It is really fun to watch! Everyone gets exercise and fresh air. All three dogs have a job fit for their breed and everyone is happy!

We won't be watching the Super Bowl today, but will be playing fetch 'n' herd outside for awhile with the three dogs. More updates to come. Hopefully we can get a picture of Odie herding our dogs for his next bio!

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Hi everyone!

It's Odie, and I sure love being a RAGOM dog! I told foster mom and dad that I felt so special that I wanted to go to the RAGOM event at PetCo on Saturday. Foster mom was pretty nervous about taking me because I can be pretty rough with new dogs that I meet. I promised foster mom that I would be a really good boy and behave myself. She said "Okay Odie, but if you get rowdy we are going home!"

So off we went to PetCo! I hopped right into the car with my tail a waggin'! It was a long, long way to PetCo because foster mom didn't print a map and we got lost. Foster dad was ready to turn around and go home but I said "please-e-e, pretty please-e-e can we try to find PetCo again?" I told foster dad which way to turn and there it was! We went inside and I met lots of other dogs and humans too! I was so well behaved that I surprised even myself! One nice visitor even bought me a special bone! I had a fun day!

Foster mom and dad said they have learned a lot from me. They've learned that having a dog with a disability can be very rewarding. I try extra hard to show them how much I love them for taking care of me and helping me find a forever home!

Stay tuned for my next adventure!

Love, Odie

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Hi friends! This is Odie, you know, the ONLY black dog on the RAGOM website. I like being the only totally black dog on the "Available Dogs" page- I think it helps me get more attention! Hee, Hee!

Speaking of attention, I have been getting a lot of it lately! Yesterday I went to the doggie spa! I was pretty scared but relaxed once I met Cindy and got a warm bath, haircut, and my nails trimmed (no polish though-remember, I am a BOY!). I looked in the mirror afterwards and barely recognized myself! Mom and Dad made a big fuss over me and kept telling me how handsome I looked and took about 100 pictures of me today. I was so tired of all the attention that I put my face in the snow to disguise myself! Foster Dad even took a picture of that!

Did I tell you that I am part Border Collie? I love to run, run, run! I definitely need a forever family with a big fenced yard. I would also like to try agility classes-I heard they're fun!

My foster mom told me that an 11 year old girl named Sarah saw my picture on the RAGOM website and she instantly liked me! In fact, she said she wants to use her $100 Christmas money to help me and my friend Piper 06-357 buy food and stuff! Wow! What a nice little girl! I hope that someone as nice as Sarah adopts me. I promise to be their very best friend!

Good night Sarah! It's my bedtime!

Love, Odie

Snuggle TimeSnow DogMine!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Odie has been living with us for five days and is starting to relax and feel right at home with our family and daily routine. He is such an affectionate little guy and wants to be right next to us for snuggling and kisses. He will really love having a family of his own where he doesn't have to "share" his mom and dad with two other dogs!

Did I mention that Odie hardly sheds at all? Nope! We brush him and very little hair comes out. Odie has an appointment at the spa on Friday. We want to get him looking good for his next photo shoot!

This is our first time fostering a dog who is hard of hearing and it is very rewarding. We are so excited that Odie is learning and responding to hand signals! He knows signals for sit, down, and off. Odie is very smart and learns quickly. Please contact placementatragom [dot] org if you would like to meet this special boy!