"When we bought Otto, a golden retriever, a year after the death of our previous dog Bertie, we were sceptical that he could live up to our high expectations. What quickly became apparent, during the routine humiliation of our puppy training classes, was that Otto was a law unto himself. He's not normal quickly became a stock family phrase, as Otto demonstrated a series of wild, mischievous and outlandish behaviours."
"During classes, I remember being told euphemistically that he was wilful and shamefully resorted to hiding cocktail sausages in my pockets during the final exam to encourage a modicum of civility in him. It just about worked. He was very hairy, with astonishingly soft ears and a tail that was constantly swishing with delight. Other dogs might gently curl up on the sofa; Otto would sit like a human on his rump, two paws up in the air."
Otto arrived a year after the death of the previous family dog, Bertie, and immediately revealed a wilful, unpredictable nature during puppy training classes. He repeatedly performed mischievous and outlandish behaviours, including hiding cocktail sausages in pockets during the final exam to prompt civility. He was very hairy with soft ears and a constantly swishing tail, often sitting like a human on his rump or submerging and rolling in water, and sometimes retrieving dead badgers. He was exuberantly friendly, knocking items down in his rush to greet people, and over ten years befriended more than twenty dogless walkers via BorrowMyDoggy, remaining affectionate even as arthritis slowed him.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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