Success Stories

Odibe, November, 2000

The rescuer spotted Odibe at the shelter in Temple, TX when he went there several times a day for almost a week looking for his own 4 Labs; they had managed to get out of his fenced yard. He found the dogs, the fence is fixed, and he took Odibe home with him the day before the shelter was going to euthanize the dog.

The yellow boy looked awful; he was severely emaciated, his coat was a mess - the rescuer described him as having a weathered look to him from being a stray for a long time. The rescuer guessed Odibe to be 10-12 years old; he noticed that the yellow Lab had a hard time breathing and suspected he may have heartworms. He suspected that it was already too late to treat Odibe but he just couldn't bear the thought that the old boy would die at the pound and be thrown on the heap with the rest of that day's casualties. He wanted him to go to rest with someone who cared, giving him some attention, a good meal, and a last hug and kiss.

The rescuer's sister was working for a local vet and took Odibe to the clinic to have him checked out. The vet determined that Odibe was only about 3 1/2 to 4 years old. But, he was severely malnourished, and yes, he did have heartworms. The decision had to be made whether to just give him the dignified end as planned, or to pay to have him taken care of, to give him one more chance. The rescuer just had to do it, he had to give Odibe that opportunity.

They gave him all of his vaccinations, first round of heartworm treatment, bath, vitamins, etc., to get him back on the road to recovery. But between that time and the time for the next treatment, a series of events occurred that sapped the rescuer's savings and he could not afford the second round of heartworm treatment or to get Odibe neutered. He asked LABMED for help and we were happy to fund Odibe's heartworm treatment.

Odibe tolerated the treatment well and was soon well enough to be neutered. His rescuer told LABMED he is a sweetheart; he is crate trained, housebroken, knows sit and stay, the only problem is he tends to only listen to the rescuer most of the time! Odibe looks so much better now than when the rescuer first spotted him at the pound.

The rescuer sent pictures to many friends, trying to find a new home for Odibe. Well, the wife of a long time friend saw Odibe's picture and since her husband has wanted to add another Lab to the household for quite some time, decided that this was that Lab. Odibe will go to his new home for Christmas; his rescuer is happy to know he will have a wonderful family and another Lab for a playmate.

Update: January, 2001

From Odibe's rescuer:

Odibe went to his new home on December 23rd of 2000. He was a Christmas present to one of my good friends, Jeff, who lives in Dallas, TX.

When Lisa, his wife, came to pick Odibe up, she already had a fleece bed and chew toys waiting for him in their Expedition. He then went home to Dallas to meet Jeff and Maggie, their other rescue lab. After the introductions they went to PetsMart to get Odibe some of his own stuff; a new bed for the house, a new special Odibe bowl, new toys that he got to pick out, and whatever else his heart desired. He then went home to spend Christmas with his new family. I just received an email from Jeff saying that Odibe was doing very well in his new home, eating and playing lots with his new friend and his new family, and that they had a special day at the doggy spa planned for his upcoming 4th birthday. I think he lives better than I do!!