Otto came into our care on July 2, 2019. He arrived at my doorstep by special transport treated like royalty by friends delivering him safely. I gasped when he was handed to me, he looked the size of a newborn puppy, but was very much alert and had the audacity to bite my finger. This tiny being was a mere 8 weeks old and 13.5 ounces, barely a can of Coca-Cola in weight and not in height.

During the next month, his foster Mom’s were up to the challenge of 24/7 care & monitoring for signs of a liver shunt, hydrocephalus, hyperglycemia, and anything else his little body would throw at them. Between the hourly, then 2 hours of a bottle and hand feeding’s, emergency trips to the vet, multiple attempts to find a food he would eat, tubes of NurCal squeezed into his water, food, and in an emergency his mouth directly.

Tiny and fragile enough to give his vets pause in handling him for examination. Then weeks in between being vaccinated as to not overload his body with possible side effects. Too small to have blood drawn let alone ever be neutered.

Those crazy party legs being so small and the risk of death under anesthesia due to the possibility of Hydro was a risk with his life I was not willing to take. The legs work, maybe not like other dogs, but for Otto, they are all he knows and he uses them better than just fine. Otto motors about when free to roam, running, hopping, bouncing about, it’s all the same to him.

There were attempts to build him a front-wheel cart, he was having nothing to do with it. We are researching another option as we want to prepare Otto for a day that he may not be able to use those front limbs as he does now.

Otto will need hydrotherapy to keep his muscles loose and strong in the hind legs as they do all the work. Physical therapy, joint supplements will also benefit his quality of life.

Otto is looking for a home with padded carpeted floors, no stairways that he can tumble down, no other pets in the home, children over the age of 10 years and guardians up to the challenge of a new lifestyle where Prince Otto is large and in charge.

For further requirements, please read the application thoroughly before submitting the form. You will receive an email thanking you for your submission when completely correctly.

Be certain you are answering all the questions completely. Example: 231 North Smith Street is not a complete address.

We will review applications until we find a match, this can come quickly or not. If a match is found, we will not be reviewing all the applications that come after it.

Thank you for all your support for Otto over the past months as he has prepared for his next step in his journey, a forever home of his very own. Click on the link below to start the application process of applying, interview, home visit and fostering period prior to adoption. (DO NOT USE OUR STANDARD APPLICATION TO APPLY FOR OTTO)

Cynthia Lynn Guzman
Founder/Executive Director of a small rescue with a big name, K9 Enrichment Initiative where the human/canine bond is everything.