When you’re having a rough time, dogs can sense that, lick your wounds and show love without saying a word. This is one reason why Odin is part of the Colenbrander Hall family.
According to Cody Hughes, the resident director of Coly, his dog Odin has been the unofficial therapy dog for the residence hall. Odin is a Siberian Husky that came from the Humane Society of Northwest Iowa.
Since he was floated around to different homes and shelters until being adopted by Hughes and his wife Brooke, they don’t know Odin’s exact age. Still, they believe that he is nine years old, if not older.
“Odin has a calming presence about him, which is really great,” Hughes said.
Since human beings have been able to domesticate dogs, they have been considered man’s best friend.
More than half of American households have a pet, according to market research firm Packaged Facts. The two most popular pets: cats and dogs.
Cats live in 24% of households, and dogs live in 39%.
Not only do dogs have the energetic and fun qualities that bring joy to life, but they are known to improve the quality of life by lowering blood pressure, encouraging exercise and decreasing stress.
This is evident on campus every “dead” week, the week before finals, as the college brings a number of little puppies to encourage students during a busy time and bring them joy in the midst of their studying. The energetic, happy puppies help students relieve stress at the opportune time.
Other than relieving stress, dogs can also help out their owners in many other ways. Dogs are used for moral support in nursing homes or hospitals. There are guide dogs that are used for the blind and dogs that help the police force keep the community safe.
Some dogs are lazy, and some dogs are fat. Other dogs are energetic or tiny. No matter what type of dog it is, it seems like they are always happy to interact with people. This happiness makes it hard to not smile.
Dogs are meant to love, to protect and to be a friend to their owners. They can be the shoulder to cry on or the happiest thing you’ll see when you come home from a long day, which makes them the perfect best friend.
Because Odin is older and has a hard time getting up the stairs, many Coly guys purposefully come down and love on him so they get a glimpse of Odin’s happiness.
“Odin doesn’t care about the coronavirus,” Hughes said. “With a lot of uncertainty this year, it has been great having a constant figure like Odin around.”
The love that Odin brings to Coly is just an example of the love that any dog or animal, can bring to someone’s life.
