Obie’s story
Obie — the dog behind Unique Dog Finds
Obie was our Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and he was at the centre of our lives for 17 years. He had a terrible start, and then a life of being completely loved and thoroughly spoiled.
- 17 yearswith us
- 4 monthsold when he arrived
The beginning
A very poor start
Obie came to us at around four months old, after a very poor start in life.
He arrived with a twisted ear and every reason to be wary of people. He wasn’t. He turned into one of the most loving, affectionate dogs you could hope to meet — and one of the daftest.
Silly, a bit strange, completely fearless.
The years in between
A dog who got through everything
Over the years Obie had more than his share of operations. There was surgery for a luxating patella. There was the cruciate ligament, which he damaged chasing a football. He had teeth removed. And he had two lumps taken off, one on his belly and a fairly large one on his back leg — both, thankfully, benign.
He got through all of it, and usually found a way to make us laugh while he did.
After his leg operations he developed a wonderfully ridiculous way of running. And after one operation he somehow managed to reverse his protective cone and get one of his front legs through it. We still don’t know how he did it.
He put enormous effort into it, and sometimes looked as though he was running like a crab.
Thirteen and fourteen
Getting back up
At around 13, Obie’s hearing began to go. At around 14 he had his first stroke, confirmed by our vet.
After a stroke he lost the use of his back legs. We didn’t give up on him. With a wheelchair, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and plenty of determination, he learned to walk again — and even to run.
Seeing him move about under his own steam, and behave like a dog again, meant everything to us.
The later years
The little things made a huge difference
As Obie grew older, it was the simple things that kept him comfortable and independent. None of it was complicated. All of it mattered.
Senior Dogs & Mobility- Stepsup to the bed and the sofa
- Non-slip matson the floors he used most
- Raised bowlsat mealtimes
What Obie taught us
Look past how it looks. Ask whether it helps.
Living with Obie taught us that small things can change a dog’s quality of life. As his needs changed, we learned to look past what a product looked like and ask whether it was practical, comfortable and useful.
That still guides Unique Dog Finds today. It’s why there’s a whole section for older dogs, and why we’d rather recommend a few good things than hundreds of forgettable ones.
Obie’s story is our own experience, not veterinary advice. Every dog is different — if your dog is struggling, please talk to your vet.