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| Odie looks so much smaller, with his beautiful coat singed orange from the intense heat and flames. |
Here’s what Roland Tembo Hendel wrote about his heroic Livestock Guardian Dog, Odin, an Akbash, who protected his goats through the raging California fires:
As many of you know, Ariel, Scott, Stephen, and I lost everything we had in the Tubbs fire that devastated our forest home in Sonoma County earlier this week.
We had minutes to load up the animals and run from the advancing firestorm.
Despite the sounds of exploding propane tanks, twisting metal, and the hot swirling winds, Odin refused to leave our family of 8 bottle-fed rescue goats.
Hours later when we had found relative safety we cried for Odin and our goats.
I was sure I had sentenced them to a horrific and agonizing death.
Days later, when we were able to make it back to the property, we found a burned, battered, and weakened Odin, surrounded by his 8 goats, and several small deer who had come to him for protection and safety.
Odin was weak, and limping, his once thick and beautiful coat singed orange, his whiskers melted.
Since then, Odin has been reunited with his sister Tessa. He appears to be getting stronger, and his sister's presence will surely help to lift his spirits and take some of the burden off his giant shoulders.
Also the wonderful volunteers at Sonoma County Fairgrounds gave Odin a check-up and said he is in remarkable health given what he’s been through.
He was limping and lying down more often than usual because his poor paw-pads are burned.
But he will make a full recovery. Tomorrow he gets a shampoo, a grooming, and nice steak.
And with that, we are going to enjoy a pizza and a beer and a good night’s rest.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and for sticking with us through this roller-coaster ride.
—Roland Tembo Hendel
What an an amazing Dog!
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| Poor Odie resting, too weak to stand for more than a minute or two at a time. |
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| Full view of our old home, from what was once the front door. |
More from Roland's Facebook page:
By 11:10 we could see the first of the flames across the valley.
By 11:15 they were growing larger and the winds went mad. We had loaded up the dogs and cats, but Odin, our stubborn and fearless Great Pyrenees would not leave the goats. [Odin's breeder, Heather, identifies Odin as a rough Akbash.]
By 11:10 we could see the first of the flames across the valley.
By 11:15 they were growing larger and the winds went mad. We had loaded up the dogs and cats, but Odin, our stubborn and fearless Great Pyrenees would not leave the goats. [Odin's breeder, Heather, identifies Odin as a rough Akbash.]
Even under the best of circumstances it is nearly impossible to separate Odin from the goats after nightfall when he takes over the close watch from his sister Tessa. I made a decision to leave him, and I doubt I could have made him come with us if I tried. We got out with our lives and what was in our pockets.
Cars behind us on Mark West Springs Road were pouring flames out of the windows as they roared down the road. Later that morning when we had outrun the fires I cried, sure that I had sentenced Odie to death, along with our precious family of bottle-raised goats.
Today, we were able to make it back to the smoldering wasteland of our forest. Every structure is in ruins. Trees are still burning.
Yet, eight goats came running to see us and get cuddles and kisses. Dixon has a burn on his back the size of a nickel. Other than that they are perfectly fine. Odin’s fur is burned and his whiskers melted. He is limping on his right leg. And he has adopted several baby deer who huddle around him for safety and water from their trough, which is miraculously intact and full of relatively clean water.
Click here to see Roland's Facebook page with more photos of Odin. Notice this "In the Know" posting of it has had over 5 million views! How many more thousands or millions of views of Odin, the fearless LGD, have been seen around the world?
How did Odin do it?
Here, Roland gives credit to his neighbor who stayed behind and helped Odin and the goats.
How did Odin do it?
Here, Roland gives credit to his neighbor who stayed behind and helped Odin and the goats.
CBS TV in Sacramento noted in a telecast on Oct. 21, 2017, that:
About the family of Livestock Guardian Dogs...
"To this day flocks are guarded in the hills of Asia, Europe and Africa* by powerful, robust dogs that are neither clumsy nor pacific. Despite the distances that separate them these breeds have much in common, and the Kuvasz is a member of this extended sheepdog family."
From: Dr. Tibor Buzády, Dogs of Hungary, trans. Bernard Adams, Budapest, Hungary: Nóra Kiadó, 2002, p. 90.
*(and now also in North America, South America and Australia)