OTTO
Grace Manson
Water Meadows, Brook Hill
70 x 45 cm
Although it’s hard to believe with his size and lack of elegance, Otto is a German Short-haired Pointer. He turned fourteen years old this May and we celebrated with a dog cake and his birthday bandana.
Otto has been with our family since I was around four years old; he came to live with us in Portugal along with his brother Freddie who passed on May 24, 2019. Otto has taught me and my family what unconditional love looks like. Like other dogs, he is happy all the time as long as he gets fed and has his walks – this has taught me that the simplest things can be everything you need to be happy.
He is a simple boy who loves a good cuddle, stealing food and daily walks. His snore has been a background sound in our home for as long as I can remember, and I truly hope we get to hear that sound for a long time to come.
Growing up with Otto has meant he has been a constant in my life, from the lowest points to the highest. I have struggled with depression since I was fourteen years old and as you can imagine, this has been incredibly difficult for both me and my family. When you have a mental illness such as depression there is no quick fix, but nothing ever seems quite as bad when I am hugging Otto. When being taught how to cope with depression, you are often told to imagine your safe space and for me, this was and still is Otto. Consistency is something I have struggled with throughout my life – my moods have been very up and down, but Otto has always been there for me. I never knew how much I needed Otto until my lowest moments, and I thinks it’s safe to say he is one of the reasons I am okay today.
Otto has always been a foodie; this means his stomach is now made of steel. He has grabbed almost every kind of food off our kitchen sideboard over the years, such as twelve chocolate cupcakes, a whole tray of brownies, uncooked chicken, all three of our chocolate Advent calendars and lots more. However, Otto once made the crucial mistake of nabbing wasabi peas; you can imagine how that turned out!
Grace Manson