Shining World Hero Award Recipient: Odin – The Great Guardian Pyrenees

Odin was adopted by Roland when he was a puppy. Odin and the other family dogs, including his sister Tessa, are the guardians of eight goats, protecting them from wild animals on their home premises.

In October 2017, a wildfire broke out in Sonoma and neighboring Counties of Northern California, United States of America, including in the major city of Santa Rosa. Named Tubbs Fire, this wildfire was one of the most devastating in the history of California as thousands of homes were burned to the ground, tens of thousands of acres of land charred and human lives lost. When Roland got in the car and was ready to leave, he wanted to make sure Odin was with him. “He looked at me like I was crazy when I told him we had to go. He had this panic look on his face. He doesn’t like to not listen, but he will if he’s doing his job. He sat down and he wasn’t gonna go.” It was at this moment that Roland realized that Odin’s sense of duty was keeping him from leaving the goats and other animals behind. Reluctantly, Roland had no choice but to leave Odin and the rest of the animals before it was too late. “So the next day, I came back with a shovel to see if I can find anything left of them, and bury them. And everything was still on fire. Our house was leveled. The trucks had melted.”

To Roland’s absolute surprise, Odin was still alive! Remarkably, all the goats and the other rescue animals, including the hens, the horses, and the sheep, were also safe and well, all thanks to Odin’s heroic bravery. “Odin was in pretty bad shape. His paws were badly burned. His fur was all singed. All of his whiskers were melted. His eye lashes were melted. He was having trouble with his eyes. Obviously he breathed in a lot of smoke. He was in pretty bad shape. He came up to us and collapsed in front of us. I told him what a good boy he was.”

Touched by his intelligence and heroic acts, our Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai “Tearfully present the Shining World Hero Award to Odin the Great Pyrenees, plus US$2,000 for vegan goodies, with a big hug and lots of kisses. You are an outstanding example of love in action and touch our heart so much. May God’s blessings always be with you and your loved ones.”