October is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. Adopting a dog (or a cat for that matter) is a very rewarding experience, but also a huge responsibility. My three dogs all came from rescue situations. I have told you about Chloe’s adoption in a previous post so today I am choosing to tell you about Otto’s rescue.
Otto came into this world under dubious circumstances. He was born to an Australian Shepherd mother and obviously a Labrador Retriever father who had been abandoned by their owner along with 20 other of his dogs, 2 horses and a pig. He was a breeder at a flea market in Raleigh and he decided to move out of state and just leave all the animals. Gee, somehow I don't think he deserves any "good human being awards". I was volunteering with Aussie Rescue at the time as a foster mom and we had gotten the word about this situation. Aussie rescue went in and rescued Otto’s mom, his 2 older siblings and this 2 day old litter of puppies, of which Otto was one. So when Otto was several days old he was brought to Aussie Rescue. There he grew up to a nice old age of 6 weeks and Otto (his name was Zen at the time) was given to me to raise until a new home was found for him. I think I found he found the best home...me!
Otto was 6 pounds when he came to live with us and was the sweetest puppy. We bonded immediately and he followed me everywhere. It got to the point where I had to actually carry him with me all the time because the other dogs were so much bigger than he was. Otto grew up and grew strong and at around 12 weeks of age, started having odd “moments”. Later on we learned that Otto was suffering from seizures due to idiopathic epilepsy. We waited as long as we possibly could until we had to put him on medicine. His seizures were terrifying for me and for him. After his first large cluster seizure (cluster seizures are when the dog has one seizure after another) I noticed his demeanor changed. He was shy and withdrawn and followed me more than usual. With each seizure, Otto became more and more afraid of everything and everyone except me, my ex and dad.
Lots of people who have met Otto don’t like him, which breaks my heart because I know how sweet he can be. He is different than any of my other dogs. Bunnie and Chloe are friendly, crave attention from me or anyone else for that matter. Otto is completely different. He wants me and only me. He is fine with my dad but shies away from anyone else. He is my little buttons and I love him so much. He is a good boy and very smart. He is so smart that he learned that if he went outside he got a cookie, so if he “pretended to go out and stop just at the door well that merited a cookie right"? He sleeps on my bed every night right next to me. Sometimes he puts his head on my back (I am a stomach sleeper) and sighs so contented. He can give the most heart melting looks that I have ever seen and he can be such a silly boy. He loves his “babies” and will carry them around where ever he goes. He also has some terrible habits like jumping on me and mouthing my arm because he can hardly contain himself he is so happy to see me. He likes to bark just to hear himself. He has cost me thousands of dollars in medicine, emergency vet trips, and training. But I would honestly not take a million dollars for Otto or any of my dogs. Yes, I know it is easy to say when no one is offering you a million dollars but I know in my heart I just couldn’t do it. There have been many people that have told me I should get rid of Otto by whatever means necessary. But my life would be so empty without him. He can give these sweet little kisses that are so special because he does not do it very often. If you get a kiss from Otto, you should consider yourself VERY special. I could go on and on (and probably have) about Otto and my other fuzzies but I think you get my point.
Not all dogs are perfect. Owning a dog with “issues” can be very challenging. But in the end, I honestly can not think of a better way to spend my time or my money. The unconditional love that they give you is completely amazing. So if you are in the market for a dog PLEASE go to your local animal shelter. Shelters can be sad, scary places, but they can also lead to one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.
Thought for the day: For a list of dogs and cats available in your area, visit http://www.petfinder.org/
They have different search options available and the website is easy to navigate.
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