For the Love of Dog(s)

I decided to write this for our family to remember the happy times we had with Otis and so we remember his funny ways.

Thirteen years ago, my sister, Liz’s dog, Macy, had nine puppies. All Labradors – eight black – and one brown. Poor Macy had a terrible time giving birth and ended up having a Caesarean which meant she was very weak and had all those babies to feed. Liz said it was hard work as she had to stay up late and get up in the night to make sure all the puppies were getting enough milk. Liz was exhausted, as it was a bit like having nine babies, but she managed to keep them all alive which was quite a feat!

Liz offered us a puppy, but I said no at first because I was still cut up after having our old dog, Ella put to sleep the year before. I was a adamant I never wanted to go through that again.

However, fate intervened in the form of a family funeral. We went and stayed at Liz’s in Sussex as the service was nearby. My resolve began to waver once I saw the puppies wriggling around. They were so sweet, squishy and adorable. Jase, my husband, and our youngest kids, Poppy and Will, sat me down and begged me to let us have one.

I caved in pretty quickly and we picked him out and had to wait until he was old enough to come home with us. He stood out from the others because although he was black, he had tinges of brown in his coat which was more prevalent in the summer.

As kids, my sister and I had much-loved labs, called Elektra and Dancer as Dad was in the music business, and once Liz and her family moved from London to the countryside, they adopted a rescue dog called Duke who was quite mad. He was a black and white shaggy collie and a failed sheepdog who thought his job was rounding up the kids by nipping at their ankles. If he heard a phone ring, or a bell – he would go berserk barking.

We continued the naming of our family dogs after singers and jazz musicians. As well as Duke, they had a golden lab called Bessie and Flora for a while. Then Macy after Macy Gray. June, Liz’s sister-in-law, had one of the pups and called her Nina. Liz’s family kept the brown puppy and called him Marvin and we called ours Otis.

When we brought Otis home, he cried for the first few nights, so we gave him a brown furry hot water bottle, hoping he would think it was Marvin and cuddle up with it. Poppy slept with him to keep him company creating a strong bond between them. This mirrors his final few nights where Poppy slept downstairs with him. Jason and Will took him to puppy classes.

He’s always been good and like most labs he’s do anything for food.

We all fell in love with him and he became a beloved family member who thought he was human.

Hembury Fort, our favourite spot, soon became his too. In the car, he would sit up, excited knowing where we were going as we began climbing the hill past the ancient mossy tree roots that line the road and keep the sentries of the woods, the towering beeches, sturdy. As soon as we arrived,he would leap out of the boot. On the walk he would catch a scent and follow it, nose to the ground oblivious to anything else, with his tail wagging.

It is a beautiful place whatever the weather. Spring there is wonderful; sprinkles of bluebells lead the way, foreshadowing the open field at the top where they are so numerous they resemble a lilac lake. It’s shady in the summer, while listening to birdsong under the canopy of trees. During autumn the trees proudly display their bright colours turning crimson, russet and copper, their final flourish before they fall and join the others and become part of the earth. In winter, on foggy days, it can feel eerie when the bare branches creak and groan. I imagine ghosts from thousands of years ago whispering and watching. That’s part of the reason I enjoy going there, it makes me feel part of something much bigger when I think about the others who have walked here before me for thousands of years. Otis loved it and would run off and reappear from the gloom, tongue lolling and tail wagging carrying a stick far too big for him that he would use artfully to whack us on the back of the legs.

When he was younger, Jase would find a long stick and lob it down one of the ramparts. Otis would chase it to the bottom and skid down on the leaves often turning a somersault! That was the only time he would give something thrown for him back. After two or three of those he would be exhausted and refuse to return it so we knew he’d had enough.

He wasn’t perfect. Once we took him to Exmouth Beach a few years ago. I stupidly, forgot his harness. He couldn’t wear a collar as it irritated his neck. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the sea was sparkling. It seemed like everyone had the same idea as us. Hundreds of dogs were running across the sand, chasing balls and leaping in and out of the water. A red mist came over Otis and he sprinted off towards the sea. At the water’s edge he found a very old doddery lady Labrador he took a fancy to and began humping her. This dog was on her last legs and was snarling at Otis as her owners tried to shoo him away. I ran over apologising profusely and tried to drag him off her. He wasn’t having any of it. Finally, I got him off and pulled him away by clinging to his neck, but he escaped and started again. By this time the other dog’s owners were fuming and muttering, ‘It’s a bit much’ while glaring at me. Otis was completely ignoring me so they shouted: ‘Control your dog!’ Red faced, I throttled him away while they walked off in disgust and we went home.

Although he loved the beach, he wasn’t so keen on swimming. When he was quite small, we took him for a walk by the canal and he fell in, which freaked him out – and us – as we had to rescue him. He was always wary after that and unlike most labs, who love swimming, he only liked to paddle. When we swam in the sea, he’d pace about on the beach looking perturbed then force himself to come in as he thought I need saving. He wasn’t good at it though. He would launch in, swim out, lunge at me while scrabbling and scratching me with his paws to get me out then head back to shore.

There were lots of reunions when we went to stay in Sussex and took the dogs on long walks together. Otis and Nina loved chasing each other – running flat out and swerving at the last second -we often couldn’t tell the difference as they looked almost identical. We would end up at the pub where all the dogs, apart from Otis, would gratefully lap water from the communal dog bowl there. He was always weird about drinking water and refused to have a drink if another dog had drunk there first. However, he thought it was fine to drink from filthy puddles the muddier the better in his eyes!

Initially, Otis wasn’t sure when he first encountered snow, but it didn’t take long for him to realise how much fun it was. Will, Jase and I went sledging on a nearby hill and he chased us, ears flapping, on the body board as we slid down over and over again.

Otis was a bit neurotic, perhaps, because he thought he was human, and behaved oddly at times, a bit like a toddler! He liked his routines and disliked change. A bit like Jase! They do say dogs are like their owners. Otis thought every dog wanted to play with him. Unfortunately, because we hadn’t had him done they definitely didn’t the majority of the time. Instead, they found him threatening and would snap at him. He’d look crestfallen for a moment, then do the same to the next dog that came along. He always lived in hope. Then if a dog ran over to him to try and play Otis would dismiss them as if they were invisible. It was a joy when it sometimes worked out that he’d meet a dog he didn’t know and they would career around together for a few minutes before continuing on their way.

He was just as contrary with people. If we were on a walk and it was obvious that the people we randomly met weren’t interested in Otis, he’d rush over and demand their attention. Conversely, he ignored obvious dog lovers that tried to befriend him. Jason’s friend, Tom, couldn’t wait to meet Otis and when he finally did was all over him trying to talk to him and stroke him. Otis was having none of it and studiously blanked him throughout the whole walk.

Joel and Jack, our eldest boys, weren’t around as much with Otis as with Ella as they’d grown up and left home before we got Otis. Jack always loved him, especially taking him for long walks.

Joel still had a place in his heart for Ella. When he moved back home last year, Otis knew he felt indifferent about him, compared to how we loved him. So he set about to did his very best to make sure Joel changed his mind. It didn’t take that long to convert him and soon Joel was playing with socks, feeding him steak and they were doing selfies together.

Otis was good at being appealing with his big brown eyes. My mum absolutely adored him. When he went over there she would get him straight up on the sofa next to her. This wasn’t allowed at home, so he’d sit there feeling very pleased with himself and looking regal.

At home, he had two beds. One in the kitchen and one in the front room. He always wanted to be in the thick of it, wherever we were and so did his dog hair – the gift that kept on giving!

Otis had lots of toys but had a particular penchant for socks. Despite having plenty of his own, which he played tug-of-war with, he liked to steal any left lying around. He played a game where he would walk up to someone wagging his tail with a sock hanging from his mouth asking them to play. As soon as they tried to grab it, he’d move his head away just far enough so it was out of reach. He was a terrible tease and could do this for hours. He liked to feel he had one up on us.

The same with balls. He wasn’t a retriever; he’d chase the ball but wouldn’t drop it he just wanted you to catch him and try to get the ball out of his mouth.

Once on holiday in Sussex, we were in the pool playing catch with a tennis ball. Otis was, as usual, worried about us being in the water and anxiously prowling from one end of the pool to the other in case we needed him.

Will lobbed the ball so it went out of the water and Otis ran and got it. It’s a beautiful pool with roses growing around it, so you swim amongst the petals. However, it’s quite difficult to get in and out of quickly. Everyone was calling Otis to bring the ball back. He was wagging away but ignoring us. Will went to the edge and called him over. Otis went to him, dropped the ball and waited until Will went to get it before nudging it away with his nose so he couldn’t reach it. He looked so proud when we all laughed. Such a happy memory which tells a lot about his sense of humour.

After Will went to university and there were no kids left at home, I felt a bit lost. Otis slipped into being our baby, a role he took to easily and enjoyed immensely. Having a dog is so rewarding. Apart from the unconditional love they give are entertaining and always there ready to give you a rapturous welcome.

When I used to work, Otis would sit at the top of the path at 3.45 pm every day waiting for me to come home and come running down to greet me when I came through the gate. He did the same to everyone in the family. And would be beside himself with excitement if one of the kids came home for a visit. His tail would revolve round and round and he’d look like he was laughing.

Having a dog was important for our mental health too. It made us go out every day without fail. Occasionally I would suggest we didn’t as it was teeming with rain but he’d make us feel guilty and go and sniff his lead then give us ‘the look’. He talked a lot too. He was always making funny noises and trying to tell us things especially when he was hungry which was often.

During lockdown, Jase, like many others, went to work entirely online which he found stressful. Otis would sit beside him in the shed, keeping him company while he was in meetings. He learnt from the way people talked when a meeting was coming to a close and would jump up demanding a fuss and cheer him up. Jase was suffering with anxiety and kept thinking he was going to have a heart attack, but found that stroking Otis calmed him down and decreased his blood pressure.

When Frankie, our grandson came along, Otis was a bit jealous and fed up at first. As Frankie got older and came to stay they became best buddies and inseparable.

Last Spring, we could still take Otis for long rambles around the Devon lanes. He started to go downhill a bit in April and our walks had to be curtailed due to arthritis in his back legs. He had lots of different drugs to keep him going and seemed happy, although he also became completely deaf which was problematic. From when he was small Jase had taught him to come back and sit straight away if he heard a car coming. He was so good that he could be off the lead for the majority of a walk. Once he was deaf he couldn’t hear cars and we had to keep a much closer eye on him. He still enjoyed going out though and would spend half an hour walking a short distance up the footpath sniffing all the scents, like messages, other dogs had left who’d been down there before him that day. .

Just before Christmas he became more seriously ill and the vet advised us she thought he had a tumour on his spleen. She said she could give him an injection and more drugs to get him through to the new year, so we agreed we would make a decision after we’d been away in Sussex for Christmas.

We had a good Christmas although it was quite subdued as it was obvious Otis was unwell and deteriorating. Jack and Will left to go back home the day before us, which was horrible as they had to say goodbye to him. Once we were back in Devon we knew he didn’t have long left.

On the 2nd of January I called the vet and made an appointment to have him put to sleep. On the way there we took him for a final walk to Hembury Fort. I thought he’d just sniff around a bit and not be able to go far. I was so wrong. he ran all the way to the top.

Our last walk at Hembury Fort

His tail didn’t stop wagging as we hadn’t been up there for ages. There were about ten other labs up there who he ran around with. It was like he’d never been ill.

It was such a stunning day with blue sky and sunshine, yet so sad. I felt like he’d gone to doggy heaven already. Perhaps he had an inkling something wasn’t right as we’d all been crying before and during the walk. In the last hour of his life he had an enormous burst of adrenaline and ran around like a puppy. Of course Jase, Poppy and I were in bits knowing what was coming next and we cried all the way there.

I miss his velvety ears and the way he would stick his nose under the gate when he heard our car. Every time I grate some cheese I miss my little friend being there hoping for some. The mornings are the worst, especially for Jase. he and Otis had a routine five minute fuss as soon as he got up. Without fail he would be there to meet us as we came downstairs wagging away with a sock in his mouth ready for another day of fun. Otis wanted to be with us constantly which meant we were always falling over him. Now the house feels too big. We all miss him but know that he had a wonderful life full of love.