OTTO'S POINT OF VIEW AND MORE

POST # 11
About a week or so ago but in dog time much longer, a new human came into my owner's house to have a visit. I knew something was up right away because as soon as he came in he was being overly friendly with me. He also knew my name right away, and even though I was intially suspicious, I still let him pat my head and rub me on the ears. So he scored a few points as a result, but I was going to sit close by in my dog bed and try and figure out just what the story was.
My owner, Glenda and the new human which she referred to as Paul sat down at the kitchen counter to have a cup of tea and have a chat. Now, I am smarter than your average canine, however I couldn't understand every word they were saying. The easy words such as "treat", "go for a walk" "go pee" "good dog" and "stay" and of course my name "Otto" all rang a familiar bell. But a new word "housesitter" seemed to sound strange to me. I was curious to see where this was heading. Paul visited for about an hour and during that time, Glenda was giving him a tour of the house and showing him all kinds of things. Most importantly she pointed out where my food was kept and where the treats jar is located on the counter. To tell you the truth, I really didn't care much about the rest of it. Whatever was happening, I was glad this new guy knew about the food.
After a while he said goodbye to Glenda and me, and again he gave me a big pat on the head, and added "Good boy Otto" prior to walking out the door. By that time I was ready for my afternoon nap, and I imagined that this Paul guy was just one of Glenda's many friends who had come for a visit, and that was the end of it.
A few days went by and during that time, Glenda said goodbye to me and gave me to one of my other human friends, Bev who took me on an adventure to Rock Creek where we spent quite a few days together until January 1st, the first day of 2012. Most of the humans I know seem to be talking about 2012 like it's going to be bad, but as far as I'm concerned, as long as the meals keep coming, and I've got a comfortable bed to sleep in, I can't see what the problem will be. After all, with ample food and a good bed, what more could anyone want?
Anyway, on January 1st, Bev loaded me up in her truck and we drove to Bear Creek, where this Paul character showed up again. Not only that, Bev let him in to the truck, and the three of us continued our journey back to Glenda's place. Once we were all inside, Bev said goodbye, and just like that, I was now stuck with this Paul guy, and it began to dawn on me, as I put all the pieces together, that he was now going to live here. No one asked my permission, and yet, just like that here he was. For how long, it was anyone's guess.
Well right off the bat he was working hard to get on my good side. Only minutes after Bev had left, we were going for our first walk together. And even though I have trouble walking and my back right leg drags behind me from time to time and makes me look like a human walking when they've had too much to drink, not once did he make a disparaging comment. In fact all the way along, he was showering me with "Good Dog Otto" comments. And when we got back home he went straight over to the treats jar and handed a few to me. So I began to think that maybe this guy was going to be ok, yet I still wanted to give him one more test, which I saved for the following day. We had just come in from one of our walks, but I managed to save a little bit of poo, and pee, just enough to deposit on the floor, and walk through it to make sure that it got evenly distributed throughout the house. I made sure to do this while Paul was distracted reading a book. He discovered the mess by initially stepping in some of it and at that moment I knew I would find out what kind of a human I had on my hands by his reaction. Once he realised what had happened he actually apologized to me for not letting me out in time in order to do my business outside. At that point, he had passed all the tests as far as I was concerned, and I decided from then on I would be happy to have him around for how ever long he was going to be here. What's her name, ah, I mean Glenda was gone for who knows how long in dog years, so I decided to be happy with this new guy, and as long as the walks and treats keep coming, then I won't have anything to complain about. So in spite of the year, my 2012 has started off on the right track.

...AND MORE
Well now that Otto has had a chance to get a word in, I figured I would add just a few more thoughts of my own. So as of Jan. 1st I moved in to my latest housesit up on the dome above Dawson City. I had only just settled in and got the wood stove going, when poof, the power went out. This has been happening on a regular basis since arriving in the Yukon, but when it happens in a place you're not familiar with, then it is a whole new adventure. Thankfully I had the light from the wood stove to help me stumble around. And of course I knew where the matches were, so I lit one and went on a search for a candle. This proved fruitful after only a few minutes, which then, helped me find a flashlight, to help fight back the darkness. Otto didn't seem to be too put out by the whole affair, and after about 20 minutes or so everthing came back on and life was back to normal. Once again I was reminded on just how dependant we have all become on electricity. If I was hanging out on some tropical island, and the power went out, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but here in the Yukon in January, it's a very big deal.
Also, since my last blog post, I had a close encounter with an effing big moose when I was driving home to Bear Creek. Although we managed to avoid hitting each other, due to some quick braking action on my part, this then caused the van to go out of control and begin to skid down the Klondike highway, towards an oncoming vehicle. Eventually the van turned 180 degrees and I was going backwards down the road, not knowing exactly where I would end up. Thankfully because of all the snow we've had there was a good bank of it at the edge of the highway, and after what seemed like a long time, the rear of the van crashed into the snow bank and stopped. Thankfully also, the oncoming vehicle stopped as well and the two German tourists (you could only expect German tourists at this time of year)helped to push me free, and I continued the drive home. It was yet again one of those times in one's life when you get to me reminded just how fast your life can end or at least change in a big way. And just staying with that theme for a moment longer, each day when I head to town I walk past the local graveyards, which are located not far from my new place. Walking past gravesites always has the same effect on me, in that it helps to put life in perspective. No matter what happens in our lives, eventually we all arrive at the same destination. It keeps me from ever wanting to become a workaholic. Life is way WAY too short to go down that path as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather be staring up at the stars in the night sky, than to be burning the midnight oil on some work related agenda.
I'm settling in to my new routine and new friend Otto dog, and I am quite sure that I will be happy here for the remainder of the month. No doubt Otto will be teaching me a few more lessons during that time, and being an obedient human, I will make sure to pay close attention to what it is that he has to teach me.
The Yukon journey continues...
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer