ASPCA SUCCESS STORY OF THE WEEK

ASPCA SUCCESS STORY OF THE WEEK: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE

In April 2006, a young cocker spaniel moved in across the street from Tricia LaPonte—and for almost six months, Tricia watched as the dog was kept outside and given very little attention. “You could hear him barking and crying at all hours of the day,” Tricia remembers.

When the pup’s guardians were confronted, the family readily gave up the dog—and Tricia gladly accepted him into her home. “I had wanted him from the first day I saw him. When his former family brought him up the driveway, he ran right for me and sat at my feet.”

To keep the pup from getting confused, Tricia decided to call him “Odie”—a name that sounded like the one her neighbors had called him. She then set to work training the canine. Since he’d never been spoken to in English, getting him to understand commands took some effort. “I used mostly hand signals and treats to train him,” says Tricia, “and he learned quickly.”

Odie nailed “Sit” and “Paw” within weeks, although he is still a little hesitant with “Lay” and “Stay.” “But he’s mastered ‘Up’ already,” says Tricia, “because he loves to cuddle and get rubbed!”

Odie has made himself quite at home. “He has his own bed, but he usually sleeps with me,” Tricia tells us. “He burrows in and makes himself comfortable. He carries around little stuffed toys, and he’ll toss them down and pounce on them every so often. He’s not shy about playing tricks, either. He distracts my other dog and then takes whatever she’s playing with. He is just too much!!”