Happy 8th birthday Otis Van Nostrand, my how things have changed

Hey Otis, remember the good old days when it was only you? You didn't have a care or worry in the world. Then came Greta...She was really a present for you but she moved in and took over. All of a sudden you had to share your people, your water dish and most importantly your treats. She even got some of your birthday dinner...Just when you got used to Greta's female ways, along came Ella. You once enjoyed your own bedroom with a full-sized bed to lounge on, but no more, that damn baby needed a place to live. You used to have full reign of the car, carelessly jumping from front to back, even changing the radio station when the mood suited you. Now you are banished to the very back of the small hatchback, placed behind bars so that you don't jump on precious Ella. And finally, you used to come and go as you pleased, visiting dog parks and walking trails and even neighbors' kitchens. Now you wait for Ella, the one Kelly calls "the bird," to get her diaper changed, her face stuffed, or her tummy tickled before you get some Otis time.

That's right Otis Fanortner, most dogs enjoy their golden years but yours are spent sharing the spotlight with a couple of bitches.

You've been forced to act pathetic to strangers in the hopes of squeezing them for an extra treat or two.

Well at least she hasn't taken away your birthday treat. Not yet anyway.