Today was one of the most difficult days of my life. I had to say goodbye to a life long friend, activity partner and companion. Someone who was always waiting eagerly for my return home.
My dog Otto.
I was working my "first real" job for Kirke-Van Orsdel in West Des Moines before I had even technically graduated from Iowa State University. For the first time I was living on my own at an apartment in Regency Woods on 11th Street in West Des Moines. After seeing several of my friends married and moving on with their lives, I was spending a lot of time in my one bedroom apartment by myself. I had at this point, and for several more years to come been a bachelor. Frankly, I was very lonely.
My parents and younger brother at the time were living in Oskaloosa, Iowa. They had tipped me off to the fact that a neighbor of theirs was moving out of their rental home on 1st Avenue and were moving to a residence that would not allow pets. They had a 6 month old miniature schnauzer and were in a bind. On a weekend visit, I stopped over to a house on the corner and introduced myself and met for the first time my friend who would be loyally by my side for 12 years.
His previous owners had named him "Ringo." He was born on February 15, 1998 in rural Mahaska County near New Sharon, Iowa to Charles R. Steddom. Mr. Steddom was a retired music teacher.
Ringo was an energetic and joyful puppy to be around. After a day of deliberation I decided I would adopt him for the sum of $150 dollars. But being a history major, and to honor my new friend's strong German heritage I proudly renamed him Otto after the Prussian Chancellor who would ultimately unify German in the 1870s.
I remember the drive back in my red Ford Thunderbird back to Des Moines with him in his crate and bringing him to my small home for the first time. He promptly made himself at home by pooping under my entertainment center. Otto was a very easy dog to have for someone who was transitioning from being by himself to a pet owner. He was already potty-trained and very well behaved. I was working most days and would keep him in the bathroom in my apartment as to avoid accidents that were messy to clean up during our introductory period. I remember coming home to find one of the door jambs chewed to shreds, and I got the point. He has had free reign around my home ever since.
He was a very well behaved dog, and even when off the leash I could always trust him to stay nearby. He loved to travel back to my parents home in Oskaloosa and play with my parents two West Highland White Terriers where he would always get the upper hand by using his paws like hands. It was so nice to have another soul with me at night. He was an exceptional bed-buddy and always kept himself comfortably at the foot of the bed, unless I left the room when he would sneak up on to the pillows for some premium lounging.
After securing a new job I moved to Ames in to a townhouse apartment with a fraternity brother of mine. As a pet-owner looking to rent Ames is not a very good place to be shopping for leases. Luckily, Otto and I spend the next six months in a spacious townhome in west Ames on Delaware Avenue where we would take long walks and see all of the neat homes and cul-de-sacs in that part of town. I'll never forget when a German Shepard that was wandering off its' leash approached us and Otto loyally stood his ground and caused enough ruckus to keep the much larger dog at bay. He was very confident and proud, and selfless.
My friend Mike was graduating from college, and after our 6-month stint in west Ames Otto and I moved to Pinon Drive just off of South Dakota. Our new home was much smaller than the townhouse but we had a nice little trail system intertwined with the housing units that would allow us to take long walks before I left for work and when I returned home. After a fire at his fraternity house at Northern Iowa, my brother Chris moved in to that one bedroom apartment and spent the next year living on my couch. My brother was really good to Otto. He worked at nights so it was really good to have him there to keep my four-legged friend company while I was at work during the day.
It was at this time that Otto started having some health issues. I will never forget rushing him to the ISU Animal Hospital when he was yelping in pain and urinating when trying to get up and down from the couch. He was an intact male at this point and after several days of tests and over a thousand dollars we found out that he had some problems with his prostate. After a recommendation from the vet, we had his progeny producing possibilities removed and he recovered wonderfully. It was during this time that Otto made his trips to Omaha and to Minnesota to visit some of my friends. He really loved to travel in the car and would put his front two feet on the armrests on the door so he could look outside and smell the incoming air of a cracked window as the car moved.
After my brother made the decision to enroll at Iowa State it became obvious that the one-bedroom apartment we were occupying wouldn't make sense for the three of us so we made the move to Story City where Otto would spend the rest of his life. We moved to a really nice apartment in the Prairie Drive apartment complex in 2002. This was the first place outside of West Des Moines that seem to really embrace pets. There were large fields surrounding the development and Otto loved rooting around out there. Occasionally he would catch a ground squirrel or rabbit. I remember having to humanely dispatch a baby rabbit that he had brought me from that field. He loved the layout of the apartment, and would perch himself in on the armrest of our couches and watch the world go by through the large windows and glass door of our apartment.
Otto and I spent a lot of time camping and hiking at Ledges State park. He was a smaller dog, but he always was well in front of me encouraging me to keep up with his pace. I will always remember him belly flopping in the creek that winds through the cavern of Ledges to cool off after a walk. When we would camp he would be "on-guard" for a long while in the inside of my tent patrolling the perimeter to make sure it was safe. Otto went on many outdoor adventures. He was a hiking veteran of Backbone State Park, Yellow River State park and Dolliver State Park. When ever I wanted to go for hike he was always a willing participant. For such a small dog, he was full of energy. I will forever remember him as ahead, on the trail looking back at me. Otto also made a few appearances at ISU Tailgates.
In April 2006 I met the woman that I am going to marry. We bought our house in May of 2007 and Otto moved with us to the first home that allowed him to roam a fenced in yard. Shortly after our home purchase we got Otto a girlfriend in Sophia our white miniature Schnauzer. Together they have spent the past several years fully enjoying the life that I had always hoped for them. They have roamed a large back yard and went on walks throughout Story City, and enjoy lounging on large pillows lain of the floor in our home.
Several weeks ago my friend Otto was having problems going to the bathroom and sitting unusually. Over the Christmas holiday we had noticed that there was some vomit in our living room when we returned from Monica's family Christmas in Carroll. We thought that he just had a bug, or had eaten something that made his tummy upset. Last week we took him to the Heartland Pet Hospital where they determined that Otto had a large mass near his liver that was pushing his stomach in to an abnormal position. After bringing him home, for a few days we took him in this afternoon for his final move. Otto moved in to his new home this evening at 5:11 PM. He was 12 years and 3 days old.
He was a very special friend to me in some of the darkest and loneliest points of my life. Wiggs, you brought me an enormous amount of joy these past 12 years. Be with God my friend. I know you are waiting for me, just like you have been for all these years.
