As the October 2017 Northern Californian wildfires reached Sonoma County and Roland Hendel’s home, the family had to flee in panic.
Everything was about to go up in flames, including the animals on the farm if they weren’t saved.
When Roland desperately shouted for his dog Odin, he got no reply and thought he had lost his beloved pooch in the fire — but he was wrong.
On a farm in Sonoma County, California, Odin a Great Pyrenees dog, was raised by owner Roland Hendel. Odin’s main duty on the farm was to guard the family’s many goats from coyotes and mountain lions.
As the tragic October 2017 Northern California wildfires broke out and approached Sonoma County, Roland’s farm got hit badly by the flames and the fire spread quicker than the blink of an eye. Roland and his neighbors Scott, Stephen and Ariel, had to flee in a state of panic to avoid a terrible death. Before running off however, Roland searched and shouted for his dog Odin but Odin never appeared. Roland was left with no choice but to leave without him.
Thought all animals were dead
The next morning, when the fire had settled and people in the area could return to their homes, Roland and his neighbors rushed over to their farm.
“Later that morning when we had outrun the fires I cried,” Roland wrote on a post from his Facebook. “[I was] sure that I had sentenced Odie to death, along with our precious family of bottle-raised goats.”
A miracle
But to Roland and everyone else’s great surprise, they hadn’t lost everything in the terrible fire. When they returned to the farm, they found Odin roaming around amongst the ruins — with his goats. The loyal farm dog had volunteered to fulfill his duty — to protect his goats.
“Yet, eight goats came running to see us and get cuddles and kisses,” Roland writes on his Facebook post. “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.”
Below you can watch a clip to see how severe the fires really were, the fact that Odin and the goats survived is certainly a miracle.
Dogs sure make for fantastic guardians, not to mention their empathy and loyalty. Please share if you also think dogs are amazing.
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