Otis

Sad news hit the Hall household yesterday. Our family dog was hit and killed by a careless driver.

As the shock set in I was surprised how much it affected me. Our family is not really a dog family; we are cat people. We don’t know how to give the attention required of dogs and yet Otis found a way into our hearts and became a part of our family.

He was quite the character our little, overweight pug. He couldn’t sleep without snoring, control his portions or jump on the couch, but he was sweet and innocent. He would stand by the window and wait for us to come home, not giving you a moment to breath before demanding a belly pat. He could run surprisingly fast when it was time for a bath or a nail clipping. It took 3 people to hold him down for medicine time. He was filled with dedication and loyalty. He warned us when cars drove by, when cats came downstairs and when he was hungry. He followed us around the house (when we had food) and kept our feet warm in the winter. We trained him to do a few tricks and that was always entertaining. He was an expert swimming and stair hopper. He was such a good sport about being dressed up. In his spare time he roamed the neighborhood, keeping things in order. Everyone knew and loved him (except for the crazy lady next door, but we ignored her anyway). He didn’t really love being outside unless of course you wanted him to stay inside, then he’d stare you down in the middle of the road just daring for a chase back home. He loved nothing more than to curl up next to us and take a nap.

It’s remarkable how attached we become to animals. Otis was getting really old and suffered increasing health problems, but I could never imagine him not being there when I came home. I always felt like Otis really appreciated the simple things in life and he was always happy. We loved him and he will forever be a Hall.

Goodbye, Otis, we will miss you, and I have no doubt there is an all you can eat buffet in doggie heaven just for you.