Otis

Yesterday my mom and I had to take our family dog, Otis, to be put down.  He's been with us since I was fifteen.  We've actually had him since he was born (his mama was our dog, as well).  I really don't know why it always ends up being my mom and I taking our animals when it's this time.  We are the two most emotional people in our family, and trust me, we cried a bunch.

Anyway, Otis always had a special place in our hearts.  Not only because we've had him since he was born, but because he had a rough beginning.  Long story short, Lucy (his mama) had a bunch of complications when she had her litter.  Twelve puppies were born, but six died.  My parents had to take Lucy to our vet in the middle of the night and she almost died, too.  Otis lost oxygen when he was born, and we're pretty sure that he had some brain damage, too.  He wasn't the smartest of dogs, but he was the sweetest.  Then, when he was about four weeks old, he fell off of our deck and broke his jaw.

Was he not the cutest, fattest puppy?  Look at those rolls on his hips!

He's always been skittish and a big scaredy cat since the day he was born.  He was terrified of storms, fireworks, and loud noises.  We always knew when a storm was coming because he would start freaking out before it even looked cloudy.

He was also a giant teddy bear.  Otis was a big dog- at his prime, he weighed 120 pounds.  But he loved nothing more than to get on the couch or a bed and sleep the day away.

Not the best picture, but he was never good for the camera.  

That's not true, actually.  He loved nothing more than eating.  When he stopped eating four days ago, we knew that was a big deal.  He has eaten soap, a whole bag of Reese's cups, a loaf of bread, more chocolate than any dog should, and who knows what else.  By the way, we did not feed him this.  He would sneak it or get into it on his own.

I love you, Otis.  I'll miss you so much.