Sadly, there are many situations where dogs are neglected, abused, and mistreated. This story is for Odin. Today we are his voice.
Odin spent his days living on a breeding farm in Missippi. He was kept captive in the most inhumane conditions. Just look at this poor, innocent dog.
He was kept on a chain and lived outdoors all year long no matter the weather. It was beyond cruel.
Odin was covered in mange and sores. He was severely underweight and had intestinal parasites, including heartworm. Even his teeth were broken.
Believe it or not, Odin is a purebred Alaskan Malamute. Does he look like one?
When the kind volunteers with Southern Pines Animal Shelter and Southern Cross Animal Rescue of Missippi heard about Odin, they were floored.
They immediately took matters into their own hands and got Odin out of his heartbreaking situation.
They were thrilled to have rescued Odin, but were shocked that he was even this sick in the first place. How could anyone be this cruel to a loving, innocent animal?
When Odin came into the rescue’s care, they knew he would need extensive treatment and it would take him time to recover. They brought him immediately to the animal hospital. The rescue group also searched for a foster home for Odin right away. They knew, once he was discharged from the hospital, he would need a loving environment where he could heal.
Sydney Schelkopf was chosen as his foster mom. Sydney told The Dodo:
“Poor Odin looked like he was taken straight out from a nightmare. He was emaciated, almost completely hairless, covered in wounds, with cracked and broken teeth, and incredibly weak. He had a putrid smell to him from his horrible skin infections. Basically whatever could be wrong, was with this poor guy!”
Odin also didn’t know how to be a dog. “I honestly don’t know if Odin had ever been inside a house before,” Sydney said. “He sniffed around the whole house and kept looking back at me like, ‘What’s the catch?’ For weeks after I got him, he would just lay in a spot. I couldn’t get him to play with toys or act like a ‘normal dog.’”
Sydney didn’t give up, however. She knew Odin could be happy– but of course, like anything, it would take time. As the days progressed, Sydney and Odin became attached to one another. A love formed and Sydney became a foster mom failure 😉
“The second night I had brought him home, he was brave enough to come to bed with me,” Sydney explains. “He climbed onto the bed and just threw his bony body on me, looked up at me with such heartfelt eyes and sighed in such a loving embrace. I knew Odin had finally found where he needed to be.”
Odin still had a lot of healing to do. But as each day progressed, he became healthier and healthier. Mentally and physically. He even began to resemble a dog! A really darn cute one at that!
And then, like a blink of an eye, Odin began to look like an Alaskan Malamute!!! Can you believe this is the same dog? Just goes to show what proper care (and a lot of love) can do!
Odin still has some challenges but his FOREVER mom has faith that soon they will all be behind him FOR GOOD!
“He is currently undergoing heartworm treatment which has been a huge battle,” Sydney said. “We have our good days and our bad days. Once all our heartworm treatment is done, we are going to have some corrective surgery on his teeth. Unfortunately, a lot of them are in bad shape, and we are going to do everything we can to get them as best as we can!”
Sydney adds:
“Odin is such a fun, loving and goofy guy. He has become completely accustomed to the spoiled life.”
And that’s exactly what we want to hear! Look at this amazing transformation. Wow! To learn more about Odin and his happy ever after, watch the video below!
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