Otis - A Petfinder Happy Tail

Adopted from PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society), Philadelphia, PA.

Otis

- posted 01/25/2012

from Katy of Philadelphia, PA

My boyfriend and I both grew up with dogs but had spent many of our adult years without a companion to call our own. We were both aware of the countless homeless animals needing homes, so we began our search on Petfinder.com. I looked through hundreds of ads, wishing I could adopt every dog I saw. Then I clicked on a link for a pit bull mix named Otis. As soon as I saw Otis' picture, my heart stopped. I knew I had found my dog. Otis was born deaf and had been returned to the shelter three times, I suppose because no one had the patience to train a special needs dog. We were informed that he was scheduled to be euthanized the next day, so we made an appointment to meet him. The shelter put him "on hold" until we could meet him three days later. As soon as we saw him, there was no question that we would take him home; we bonded with him immediately. That was almost four years ago. During that time, he has taught us things we could have never imagined. Our lives are so much better because of him; we are more patient, kind and compassionate people. Otis is a constant source of joy, laughter and unconditional love. I couldn't imagine a day in my life without him. Three years ago I became very ill (I have Crohn's disease and have had 11 major surgeries), and without Otis' companionship and care, I don't know where I'd be. His love, warm cuddles and kisses make life worth living. Even though I wish Otis could live forever, I know that I will adopt dogs for the rest of my life. Thank you, Petfinder, for bringing me the best dog in the world!