HAPPY ENDINGS!
OTIS
I had just joined ESSRC a few months before. Otis was posted on a Canadian rescue list by my now friend Sam... she checks with the two WA shelters every Tuesday.
Otis was owned by someone who had an illegal daycare centre. One day a young lad was pretending to be Superman and jumped onto Otis' back. Otis growled at the boy. The owner marched Otis off to the shelter saying that he was dangerous. They didn't give the real story because they were concerned about liability... but Sam knew the owners' and Otis' true situation.
The shelter had a brand new director and he believes in working with rescue groups. They took an look at Otis and really didn't know anything except that he would shake all the time. They asked if I would come down and assess him. I was able to prove to the shelter workers that anyone would be afraid of the big yellow gloves and the frontal stance they use. Otis was very scared and fell into my arms when I opened the gate.
When we drove across the border, the guard said "you have a lovely dog!" and I turned around to see Otis hanging his head out my window and smiling. Otis came home with me but he bonded so strongly, I couldn't leave the room. He couldn't sit beside me, he had to sit ON me for fear that I would leave him. He's a lovely dog!
Donna
Fri Jun 11, 2004
"It is with unbearable heartbreak that I whisper that Otis is gone.
He was my heart dog. A lover who never cheats. A friend who keeps a secret. A confidante who watches you in life but never criticizes. A humor-filled clown who would steal one shoe to keep me from leaving the house. The living towel who would lick the water from my legs after a shower.
He was deemed a dangerous dog after he growled at a child, playing Superman, and landing on Otis' back.
He spent days in a shelter called "Doggie Death Camp" where his fear grew and his chances lessened.
He came home with me and never left... until today.
He was a special dog. The first adopted through ESRA in this part of the world and the first international adoption... just sneaking ahead of Anne in France. He began my friendship with Jan Flagg and commitment to breed rescue.
It was cancer who took his life. Something my father and my brother outsmarted but it wasn't possible for Otis. No operation could fix it. I only panicked once, when he hemorrhaged from the sinus, and called the emergency vet number. We learned to cope together.
I will miss his warmth in the small of my back at night or the snoring that long ago caught me by surprise. I will look for his touch as he reaches out to hold paws. I will smile when I remember how he used to sit in the passenger seat of the car and fool lusting men driving trucks. Email won't be the same without him laying on my feet.
The only solace I take is the picture of him meeting Jan in some celestial gathering place.
Run quickly little one-- angels wait to greet you.
Reflections My Guy "Otis"
1994-2004
Donna T... please hug your dogs and tell them you cherish them.
Two spaniels and a cat who miss him too."