Dear Otto, 

We miss you very much. The house has been quieter since you left. You always barked during meals, and now there is no barking. You are a great dog and lived for almost sixteen years, having passed away one month before your birthday. Your owners love you and so do Thoree and Bruno. 

From, 

Robert

Earlier, in “The Decision,” I decided to not take Thoree home. He has been my grandma’s and aunt’s dog for over five years. My grandparents gave the dog to me but Thoree has instead lived with them for about 5 years. And now that Otto has died, Grandma still has Thoree and Bruno. I knew right after that that I had made the right decision. 

Otto had a few illnesses before he died. About one and a half years before he died, he had kidney stones and could not pee properly. That was solved by changing his diet to make the kidney stones smaller. 

More recently, he had become very boney and stopped eating for a week. Otto threw up a lot because he could not keep food in his stomach. This caused him to become even more emaciated.

Otto stopped throwing up his food at some point and started eating well. They fed him nutritious foods like goat milk and fresh meat just for dogs. Otto had the will to live. He had a strong bark. 

Then, one day, Otto got sick. My grandma thought it was a chia seed snack, but it could have also been a bad cold virus because he had a runny nose. Anyway, Otto stopped eating, so he became even more boney. By the time he started eating again, my aunt had to feed him through a small feeding tube. On the day before he died, my grandma told Otto that, “It’s okay to go to grandpa.” Otto had been fighting for the will to live ever since his kidney stones. Now, he was nearing his sixteenth birthday. He still wanted to stay alive. But after Grandma’s words, he passed away in the early morning hours the next day. Though, he was a very lucky dog and escaped the hands of death many times. 

Both dogs were very sad, but Thoree and Bruno eventually started feeling better. Even though Thoree and Bruno had been rivals with Otto and had always wanted more space ever since they landed on Otto’s doorstep. Over the years, they developed a steady relationship with each other. Thoree and especially Bruno respected Otto greatly. His owners ensured that Otto would stay at the top at all times. They knew when he passed away. Thoree is a very sensitive dog, and that combined with his curiosity led him into a catastrophe which could have ended the story right here. 

Ever since Otto’s death, Bruno, but especially Thoree, started to lose their sanity. While Bruno was able to contain himself, Thoree could not. He almost killed himself while my grandma and aunt were gardening. How would Thoree hurt himself while they were gardening? Well, it had something to do with the wild branches, brambles, and plants living at the bottom of the ravine on the next door neighbor’s property. Thoree could just go down into the ravine easily since there is no netting around the fence on the edge of the ravine and Thoree was a very quick dog. He would not be seen. I think you know what is about to happen. 

Thoree left the house around 1:30 PM, and panic spread as the search to find Thoree started at 3:30 PM. For an hour, my aunt searched frantically all around the house and outside for Thoree. At 4:30 PM, everyone was nervous. If Thoree was not found before dark, he would either be eaten by the coyotes or die from thirst after a few days. At 5:00 PM, the neighbor’s wife reported that she might have seen the dog my aunt was looking for. My aunt went down the ravine onto the neighbor’s property in search of Thoree. He was found at 5:30 PM. Thoree was found with his tail handcuffed by brambles and all covered in leaves and dirt. Afterwards they gave him a bath, during which he did not even make a single complaint. He was in shock for the next few days. Then, almost a week later, he did it again. Who knows why he went down there for a second time, but it is possible he was looking for Otto. Anyway, he was caught right as he was going in. He is not allowed to freely roam around anymore. 

After Otto died, the house was different. Along with Thoree going down into the ravine, the whole house seemed quieter. My aunt and grandma were very sad. When Thoree and Bruno first came, they wanted to kick Otto out, but now they knew Otto was the alpha. Otto lived a long and exciting life. But Otto finally died. Thoree and Bruno were feeling very sad. In all, Otto’s death changed everyone forever.