Otto the Rescue Leonberger

Otto's story is written by his new dad, Miles Conway.

Otto came to us from Miami. The patriarch of the family had decided Otto was not getting the time, attention and companionship a Leo deserves He had attempted two years prior to find a "Leo compatible home" but was bullied by his family to keep Otto despite the conditions. Things did not improve in the subsequent years and finally the brave patriarch took the bold step of contacting LeoRescue. He wound up driving Otto some 200 miles to his then-foster home. We cannot imagine how he felt driving home 200 miles without his Otto, who was 7-1/2 years old at the time. We do know that the patriarch paid a hefty price, catching hell from his family for taking away "their" dog, and we respect him for his bravery and determination to do the right thing for Otto.

When Otto visited our vet, he was classified as a classic case of what he called “Benign Neglect”. His nails were so long that the vet had to sedate him to clip them. The vet said by the condition of his nails, it was clear this dog had never been exercised on a regular basis.

We had originally volunteered to provide a foster home for Otto, but after a few weeks of unsuccessful attempts to find a forever home for Otto, we decided to keep him. We were so attached to him by this time that we probably wouldn’t have let anyone else have him anyway.

As we work out of our home and have two other Leos and a cat, Otto would never again have to worry about being left home alone. His Separation Anxiety quickly diminished. He still is a bit of a “Velcro berger”, but we don’t mind. He now walks on the beach twice a day, during which he chases, eats, and later throws up the coconuts he finds on the shore


from left to right, Otto, Wolfie, and Ziggy

 


Otto in his pool
(wow, how lucky can a dog get?)

His favorite activity is to swim in our pool. He does this primarily just to drink water - I guess drinking water from a bowl is too easy.

Otto has now been part of our family for almost a year. He has become like a puppy again and is showing no signs of being an 8 year old. His true personality continues to emerge. We thank LeoRescue for allowing Otto to join our family. He is truly a “Sweet berger”.