The #RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd "What my rescue dogs taught me about Recovery"

The #RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd "What my rescue dogs taught me about Recovery"

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? Here, Mike Todd shares a warm, honest reflection on how his rescue dog Sadie has become an unlikely teacher in his recovery. Mike talks straight from the heart, describing how his wife’s passion for rescuing animals turned their home into a haven for dogs who’d been abandoned and neglected. One of them, Sadie, arrived terrified, shaking in the corner, and constantly trying to escape.

As he jokes about chasing her around the neighbourhood and repairing scratched door frames, you’ll hear the mix of humour and chaos that comes with both dogs and recovery. Through Sadie’s story, Mike draws a clear line to his own journey with self-worth and faith.

Sitting at his kitchen table, lost in self-pity and feeling like he’d let everyone down, he looked at Sadie and realised something powerful: “Somewhere along the line, I chose, through all her behaviour, to love her… and that he [God] chose to love me.” That comparison between loving a difficult rescue dog and being loved in recovery gives the episode a gentle, relatable punch.

He also explains how learning Sadie’s past as a “field surrender” helped him understand her fear of storms—and how, just like her, he still struggles when “the storms of life” hit, but not as much as before. His ongoing sobriety is framed as evidence that he is “chosen” and cared for, even when he feels far from perfect.

Towards the end, Mike briefly shifts to the broader recovery community, describing the South Carolina Recovery Housing Association, why it formed, and how getting naloxone into recovery houses across the state became a vital first step. Anyone who's ever felt broken, unworthy, or hard to love may find comfort in this question: if Sadie can be loved through her scars, why can’t you?