Zeltim Odie Peterson (July 9, 1997 - January 31, 2008), better known just as Odie, was a

purebred Purebreds are "cultivated varieties" of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be "pedigreed". Purebreds breed true-to-type which means the p ...

pedigreed

pug The Pug is a breed of dog originally from China, with physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most often light brown (fawn) or blac ...

, who received international media attention for his unusual talent. Odie, with the encouragement of his owner Erica Volkman, appeared to speak the words "I love you".

AOL Television AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...

declared Odie's 2005 appearance on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

'' as "the most memorable moment of the year". Odie and his owner auditioned for the popular "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment of ''

The Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

'' on August 6, 2004. They appeared on the show in November 2004, and instantly garnered national media attention in the United States. In 2004, AOL Television proclaimed Odie's ''Late Show'' appearance as one of "TV's Top 5", and then ultimately awarded it the honor of "moment of the year". Odie suffered from an

enlarged heart Cardiomegaly (sometimes megacardia or megalocardia) is a medical condition in which the heart is enlarged. As such, it is more commonly referred to simply as "having an enlarged heart". It is usually the result of underlying conditions that make t ...

. He died on January 31, 2008.

Notable media appearances

Odie appeared on such television shows as ''The Late Show with David Letterman'', ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

'', ''

The Montel Williams Show ''The Montel Williams Show'' (also known as ''Montel'') is an American syndicated tabloid talk show, hosted by Montel Williams, which ran from 1991 to 2008. On January 30, 2008, the end of production of new episodes of ''The Montel Williams Sh ...

'', ''

The CBS Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999 to January 7, 2012, and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the network since 1954. The program aired Monday through Friday from ...

'', and many others. Since Odie's talents were vocal, he was also a guest on radio shows. He appeared multiple times on

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

's KDKA Talk Radio. Odie was also a guest on the syndicated US radio program ''Animal Radio''.

References

{{reflist Individual dogs in the United States 1997 animal births 2008 animal deaths 2005 in American television Celebrity animals 2004 in American television Talking animals

Notable media appearances

See also

References