Otto pulls a Clayton

Clayton, aka Satan.

Maybe if I look really cute, she won't get mad at me.

I don't feel well.

So Clayton, the dog I owned before Otto, was a bad dog. Clayton didn't try to be bad on purpose but an extraordinary amount of energy combined with an insatiable appetite made it virtually impossible for him to control his urges.

A few examples...... Back in the day Volunteer Park had a dog 'off-leash' area that wasn't fully enclosed. Clayton viewed a trip there, not as a chance to play with other dogs, but as license to patrol the perimeter of the entire park scouting for squirrels. I would hang out embarrassed, not quite sure how to answer the 'which dog is yours' question - since mine was no where to be found.

Then there was the time I had a broken collar bone and Clayton decided to use my weakness to his advantage when a cat appeared. He sailed into someone's back yard and I got to stand there like an idiot as the owner came out and we both watched my dog chase her cat back and forth along the fence.

There were the morning walks to the Madrona Woods when Clayton would torture this poor homeless guy (ie steal his food). One time he disappeared for about 10 minutes as I called and called. When he finally showed up he had a can of rotten beef stew lodged onto his nose.

And finally, there were the countless countless times he ate god know what and spend the night waking me up to go outside and relieve himself. One time he ate an entire (grocery store size) plastic bag full of chicken bones (ate the bag and bones). Some how he managed to throw that up.

Anyhow, Otto's not like that. Otto is an angel. My friend Jabu calls Otto an alien because she says he is too good to be a dog. I walk Otto off leash around my neighborhood every morning. I take him up to cougar mountain and he runs right behind me, not even leaving the trail. He's a good dog.

However, today Otto and I went walking on this closed/dead end road on the green space. It's about a block long section that is kind of secluded and I take him there so he can run a bit. Tonight he headed off into the green space and I figured he'd just go sniff a little and pee then catch up. So I kept walking. However, he never appeared...... So I went back to where I'd last seen him and started calling and whistling - nothing (Otto is good, he can be called off food, cats, though maybe not squirels). Anyhow, nothing no tags jangling, no Otto. So this green space area has some trail looking sections, so I was thinking homeless people probably hang out there. I had these visions of Otto being held hostage by a colony of homeless people. I wanted to go find him, but it was dark and scary and deserted. Also, cars kept driving down this empty road which was making me really nervous. Anyhow, after about 15 minutes of this, Otto, of course, appears, licking his lips, smelling like food and looking quite proud of himself - JUST LIKE CLAYTON.

Now, two hours later, Otto is beginning to look a little ill and keeps acting like it's my fault he isn't feeling well. 15 minutes is a long time to eat crap. It could be a long night!