Tails From Rainbow Bridge: For Odin who will not Leave A Friend

Everyone knows that we dogs will do anything for the humans that we love, but the same is accurate for animals we adore too.  No one proved that more than Odin.

Odin resides with the Hendel family in Santa Rosa California.  Their homestead, located in Sonoma County was in the path of the Tubbs fire.  On Sunday, October 8, Odin’s father Roland made the heartbreaking decision that he, his daughter and their pets had to abandon their home to the fire.  

The Hendels would never leave a pet behind, but they had no choice but to abandon the eight bottle-fed rescue goats they recently adopted.  When Odin saw that the goats would not be escaping with them, he refused to leave their side.

Around them propane tanks were exploding, metal was being twisted from the intense heat, the winds were hot and swirling powering the fire.  Roland hated leaving his loyal friend, but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.  The Hendels left Odin behind to what he knew would be a horrific and agonizing death.

Not only did Odin leave his dad behind but his sister Tessa as well.  Roland had rescued them together as puppies, and they had never spent a day apart.  The reality was now they would be spending a lifetime apart.  

The following morning one of Roland’s neighbors told him that both their properties had been destroyed, but Odin and the goats were still miraculously alive.

The next day Roland dodged roadblocks driving through his still-burning neighborhood to get to Odin.  Roland found Odin still guarding his goats as well as a few baby deer who had joined them.  Odin fur was burned, his whiskers gone and he was walking with a limp.  Behind them, the Hendel home was burned to the ground.

Roland had to leave them on the property, but he made sure they had plenty of food and water.  The next day he brought Tessa to visit Odin.  The two were overjoyed to see one another.

Despite surviving the fire the pack is still in danger.  The family’s pumphouse was destroyed, so they have no water, and the barn had burned down, so the goats had no shelter with winter approaching.  The family created a You Caring https://www.youcaring.com/odintessaandtheirfamilyofmisfitrescuegoats-978792  site to raise money so Odin, Tessa, and the goats can stay together and Odin’s sacrifice would not be in vain.  

Odin, Tessa, and the goats are at a temporary shelter as the Hendels prepare to rebuild  Odin is healed and happy.  

Odin won’t tell anyone the miracle he created to save himself and his goats.  We angels aren’t saying if we helped either.  Someday you humans are just going to have to accept that miracles happen and never to stop believing.

Then you will become a perfect being like a dog.