Frodo Friday: Celebrating Frodo
- leahrochellep
- Jun 20
- 4 min read
Happy Friday readers! On my social media accounts, I like to celebrate each Friday by posting a picture or a video of Frodo, my basset hound rescue I adopted in 2018. We call this 'Frodo Friday.' Today I want to have an extra special Frodo Friday because it's coming close to Frodo's birthday celebration. I don't know when Frodo was born - he came to me between 6-9 months old. So I pick a day in late June/early July each year to celebrate him. To celebrate today, let me tell you a bit about Frodo's story.
Frodo (then Lucus) and his brother Lenny were found as strays in Oklahoma and brought to a local rescue center. A short time later, a MN-based rescue transported both puppies up to Minnesota, where they went up for adoption. I was looking for an adult mixed breed dog at the time. I specifically didn't want a puppy, and had sworn I would never have a basset hound again due to the health issues the family purebred basset had come to deal with (ear infections constantly, skin issues, allergies, arthritis). For some reason I still don't understand, I listed Lucus in the list of 4 dogs I was interested in. Of those four, only Lucus' foster reached out for a meet and greet. The evening before, I almost cancelled because I planned to meet another dog later in the week and didn't want a puppy, which Lucus was. My mom talked me out of cancellation, saying "there's no harm in meeting him, even though he's a puppy. You can still meet the other dog and make a decision later on."
When I first met him, I thought Frodo/Lucus was the 'ugly' puppy. His brother was much cutre, but while Lenny was causing chaos with the resident dogs during the meet and greet, Lucus laid calmly beside me chewing a bone. I knew that as I grew to love him, I would find him cute so the 'ugliness' wasn't a factor. His calm, shy, sweet personality won me over.
Needless to say, I never met that other dog. Lucus was clearly a basset, though not purebred which appealed to me because I hoped that mix may help him stay healthy. He was also very calm for a 6 month old puppy. So, I threw out all my requirements for the dog I wanted to adopt, and adopted Lucus.
Even as young as he was, Lucus was covered in scars and afraid to go through any doorways when I got him. It took a few weeks of going at his pace before he truly felt comfortable. Training classes and patience helped as we grew to get to know each other. I made sure to allow him to heal at his own pace. To this day, there are unexplained things that he is absolutely terrified of, like elderly people and hiking poles.
When I first picked him up, I named him Gimli. I had long thought that it was a perfect name for a basset, and I figured he would grow into it. Before long I began to second guess the name. It just didn't seem to fit, and he never responded to it even after two weeks. I knew I wanted a Lord of the Rings name, and he seemed more hobbit-y than dwarfish, so I thought of the hobbit names. A close friend was named Mary, so that was out. And two other friends had pets named Pippin and Samwise. That left Bilbo or Frodo. I just like Frodo better, so that won out. As soon as I changed his name, he began responding to Frodo within a matter of days. He knew his name all along, he was just waiting for me to figure it out.
And the rest, as you say, is history. In the 7 years since I adopted his Frodo, he has become my best friend, my baby, my world, my soul dog. He's my hiking companion, even though he's close to 8 now so our hikes are getting shorter each summer. He's the best big brother to all the foster dogs that come and go, teaching them that it's okay to trust me and open up. He's also just hilarious, often protesting the direction of walks, or becoming obsessed with random buildings and demanding to stare at them.
So today, ahead of Frodo's 8th birthday (maybe), let's just appreciate him this Frodo Friday.
What am I reading right now? Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
I'm almost finished with the audiobook of this, and for the latter half I could not stop listening! It has such a unique concept and magic system and the characters are so lovable. The story follows Princess Shiori, as she attempts to break a curse put on her by her stepmother, Raikama. Raikama also cursed Shiori's six brothers, turning them into cranes. As Shiori searches for answers on breaking her curse, she begins to realize there may be more to the curse than she initially assumed. I can't say much more without spoiling, but if you like fantasy definitely check out this book! It's such an amazing page turner.
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