Our companion of 14 years, Lotte, passed away today. She was 16 years and 1 month old.
I first met Lotte at the Coton breeder. I did what I normally did: laid down on the floor and cuddled all the dogs. There were 7–8 dogs there, so honestly, laying down was the best option for greetings. The breeder suddenly became a bit hysterical and asked if I had petted Lotte. I had no idea. I had just cuddled all the dogs, like I usually did when I visited.
Apparently, Lotte had been returned to the breeder by her previous owners, who did not seem to know how to handle a puppy. They kept her awake so she would sleep at night, took her on long mountain walks, and she would bite anyone who tried to touch her head.
I probably did pat her on the head when I greeted the pack. I have no idea. But I did not get bitten. Some time later, I went outside for a smoke, and Lotte, the “dangerous dog,” stood outside the door complaining and wanting to be with me, almost howling.
And that is how I ended up with my own Coton.
The breeder did not really want to keep her, and I paid the equivalent of around 200 USD for her, more or less a symbolic amount for a purebred dog. At that time, I was just about to move in with my girlfriend in our own flat, so Lotte stayed with the breeder for a while before I could finally bring her home.
She was more work than I expected. Lotte was not a ready-made family dog. She was clearly a rescue dog. But after a lot of hard work, patience and training, she became a great family dog.
Her previous owners had taught her the basics, and she was eager to learn. In training, she was actually somewhat easy.
We took her everywhere: bus, train, car. She would lay her head down, let me take control, and stay still until we arrived. In that way, she was an amazing dog.
She did snap at people who tried to pet her, even when we warned them: “Do not touch her head.” The people who claimed they were “dog people” and had dogs their whole lives were usually the ones who got snapped at by Lotte. Especially older men with moustaches. We always suspected something had happened with an older man before she came to us, because the pattern was too obvious.
Kids on the other hand do take instructions from the owner and it was totally fine..a lot of treats and a lot of cuddles. So on every walk, for everyone who wanted to pet her, we handed out treats and ordered them to sit down and not touch her head.
A couple of years went by, and gradually she became a normal dog, one who could be petted by other people.She did not play with toys, unless she was in heat. Then she would only play with a Half-Life Headcrab. I think we went through at least 4-5 headcrabs.
Lotte was always happy to see us. She sneezed repeatedly and smiled, always ready for an adventure. She was my steady companion when I drove from south to northern Norway. She would just lay her head down and wait until we arrived at our destination. 30min or 19 hours..she did not mind at all.
After some years with just Lotte, we decided to get another dog, a Yorkshire Terrier. By then, Lotte was already an old lady, and having a young dog around was a bit of a hassle for her. She was happy to go on walks together, but she was not interested in playing.
In the last couple of years, her eyesight slowly got worse, and she had a small lump on her belly that grew slowly but steadily. We moved from an apartment to a house with a yard. Walks became more of a daytime thing because of her poor eyesight, and slowly but steadily she became content with sleeping on the couch, eating, and just being with us.
Last year, for my birthday, I got a new Coton puppy. I am glad we did, because the loss of Lotte hit me harder than I thought it would. We buried her in our back yard, so she is never far away from us. It is a strange thing coming home now and not to hear Lotte sneezing when you arrive home, but there is another Coton, who is always glad to see you and it would have been too strange not having a white dog around the house. .
Rest in peace, you magnificent, strange, goofy dog Lotte. We love you.