Otis !
My family went together to pick a puppy, they were Springer Spaniels. I
remember the name of the family; it was was Fothergill. They told us that the
father of the puppies was Brutus, and he often escaped from the yard to go
wandering; we picked the most prominent black and white puppy and named
him Otis, after two of our favourite blues musicians, Otis Spann and Otis Rush.
He had a gigantic personality: he liked some people more than others. He loved
swimming in the pool, going in the car, and walking around. He would walk right
next to you but would not let anyone put him on a leash. If I went to a store or
restaurant, he would sit and wait. He loved food, especially when we had a
barbecue. I would tell Otis “Jim’s House,” and he would take off. Jim lived a few
houses down the street. When I got to Jim’s place, the back door would be
open. I would wander in, and Otis and Jim would be sitting together. Otis would
stick his nose in Jim’s window to announce our arrival. He was indeed my best
friend. !
One summer, I took off for a few weeks. I met a girl, went wandering around
Vancouver Island, and got work in a sawmill. When I came home, Otis was gone.
My youngest sister was allergic to dogs, so My parents gave Otis to a friend’s
uncle who lived on a farm. I was heartbroken. I moved out soon after. A few
months later, I saw an ad for springer puppies. I called and spoke to the breeder,
he was in Point Roberts. He said he would bring the pups to me if I were sure I
would buy one. He got a box of puppies to my place, and when he put it down,
one of them sat on my foot. The little guy looked at me.!
“That one’s name is Fergus,” the man said. “He is a real character.” I bought
Fergus; I lived in a house with Jim, Todd, and my girlfriend Jennifer. Fergus loved
Todd. He loved Jennifer too. A few months later, I got a call from my childhood
friend Carson. Carson’s uncle George was moving. “Would I like to get Otis
back?” Jim and I drove out to Uncle George’s farm. Jim was driving his parent’s
old car, and Otis had been in it many times. When we pulled into the driveway,
we could see Otis on a rope. When they released him, he walked right past us
and got in the back of Jim’s car. When Uncle George and the family came to say
goodbye, Otis looked straight ahead. We drove away. He had been out of my life
for a year. !
We arrived back at the house and sat down on the couch. When Fergus came to
greet me, Otis growled at him. So Fergus went over to Todd. That was it – Otis
belonged to me, and Fergus belonged to Todd. We had many adventures after
that day. Otis would wander off to my parent’s house, which was a few miles
away. I would get a call from my friend Brett, whose house was on the way.
“Otis was just here, and now Siskia is missing.” Later my mom would call and
say, “Otis is here and has brought a dog friend with him.” Otis loved me, but my
parents had a pool and always gave him treats. Otis loved food and got to be
fat. He had many friends, one of them was my old friend Brion. He went on road
trips with him and sat in the front of his Cadillac. His girlfriend sat in the back.
She was not impressed. If Otis saw a McDonalds’, he would whine until Brion
bought him a burger. Brion would come to town at odd hours, and I was often
playing with my band in the clubs. I would leave Otis in the front yard with my
house key on his collar.!
When Brion opened the gate, Otis ran up to the A&W Burger place. He would
not let Brion have the key until he got a couple of burgers. Brion put them on the
ground. Otis would knock off the top of the bun with his nose and eat the meat
patties first, bottom bun, then the top. He spat out the tomatoes. Otis got old
and grumpy and bit a couple of people, so I had to put him down. I got some
tranquilizers from the vet and hid them in a piece of cheese. He was drowsy
when I took him to the vet. He turned to look at me one last time before he died.
It was a look of love. We had a wake for Otis, and twenty people showed up.
Brion flew in from Edmonton.
