07/13/2025
Meet Odin the fearless livestock guardian who chose duty over safety.
In the fall of 2017, California’s Tubbs Fire tore through the North Bay, consuming everything in its path. As flames closed in, evacuation orders went out, and chaos followed. But amidst the panic, one brave soul refused to leave.
Odin, a majestic Great Pyrenees, had one mission: protect his herd. When his family rushed to evacuate, Odin stood his ground. He wouldn’t abandon the eight goats he was born to guard not even in the face of a deadly wildfire. His owner, Roland Hendel, was forced to flee without him, heartbroken and fearing the worst.
But Odin wasn’t giving up. As the firestorm raged through the night, he guided the goats to a rocky outcrop a spot he somehow sensed was safer. He huddled with them, stood guard, and weathered the inferno, refusing to back down.
Days later, when the family returned to the smoldering ruins of their property, they expected the worst. Instead, Odin limped out of the smoke, singed and injured… but alive. And trailing behind him? All eight goats unharmed. As if that weren’t enough, Odin had also sheltered several baby deer that had joined the herd during the chaos.
Odin’s story is one of loyalty, instinct, and extraordinary courage. A true guardian in every sense of the word, he lived up to the legacy of his breed risking everything to protect those who depended on him.
In a moment when many would have run, Odin stayed and in doing so, became an enduring symbol of selfless love, resilience, and the quiet heroism of animals who never stop caring.