Hello, all.
Sorry for going radio silent last week. I know I promised to announce the winners of the latest giveaway on Friday, but the Universe threw me a curveball that changed all of my short-term plans. I’ll announce the giveaway winners and give a new update about the comic schedule in a separate newsletter tomorrow. For now, here’s what’s going on in my life that caused a bit of a pause…
Last Monday Kate and I had to say goodbye to our dog Sully.
In late 2021, Sully was diagnosed with prostate cancer and we were told that he only a few months left. We were lucky enough to get more time than that; Sully was happy and healthy well past the handful of months he was given by the vets. But in the last few months, his condition deteriorated. He was unable to walk much, he appeared more pained when doing basic things, and his naturally lively personality faded.
I have been through this before with a beloved dog named Poppy back in 2009, and I dreaded the inevitable decision that I would have to make for Sully. It’s the hardest part about being a dog dad: deciding the right time to end the suffering of your best pal and do what’s best for him, not for you. With Poppy, a dog that I only knew during his later years, I waited too long. I put off the decision because I didn’t want to let go. So I was terrified that I would make the same mistake with Sully, who I had known since he was a puppy, having adopted him when he was only 5 months old. I had known Sully for nearly 13 years and spent more time with him than any other living creature in my life.
Sully and I were tight.
Luckily (not the right word, but it’s the best I can muster), the Universe gave me and Kate a very clear sign last Monday that the time had come to say goodbye to Sully. And when the Universe speaks, you listen.
Of course, that didn’t make the decision any easier. It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, saying goodbye to my best pal. It was devastating. Sully had been my shadow since the day I found him at a Petsmart adoption event on January 1st, 2010. That said, you can understand when I say that grief immediately took over and my daily schedule was obliterated. I work from home, so everywhere I looked I saw Sully’s afterimage.
So Kate and I decided to get away from home and escape for a bit to go on a long-delayed (delayed due to Sully’s cancer) road trip to South Dakota and Wyoming to see some sights and visit some of Kate’s old family haunts. We spent our nights in a cabin at a resort in the Black Hills called “The Hobbit Hole” (a woodsy retreat complete with Middle-Earth map and list of daily Hobbit meals) and our days were all about visiting locations like Mount Rushmore and the (still unfinished) Crazy Horse Monument.
On our last full day out west, we made the drive from South Dakota into Wyoming to visit Devils Tower, a trek that had long been on my Bucket List. I’ve been a fan of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND since before I’d even seen the film. I remember collecting the Topps trading cards for the film in the late 70s and marveling at the images from the movie, even though I wouldn’t actually see it until its Special Edition re-release in 1980.
Devils Tower didn’t disappoint. It’s an amazing sight, and you can walk right up to the base of it, which was a delightful surprise for this CE3K fan who wanted to walk in the footsteps of its protagonist, Roy Neary. There is literally nothing like Devils Tower in the world, and I’m glad that we made the trek to see it.
On our drive back to our cabin in the Black Hills, I spotted a highway billboard with the image of a dog on it with some text next to it. It was an advertisement for a pet adoption center. As I neared the sign, I was astounded at the resemblance of the dog on the billboard to a picture I have of Sully as a puppy from the Petsmart adoption event website. He’s sitting, his head tilted a bit, and he’s smiling with bright, lively eyes. The image on the billboard was the spitting image of Baby Sully. And next to that image, this text was written in big, bold letters:
“FIND YOUR NEW PAL.”
Luckily, Kate saw it, too. If she hadn’t, I might not believe that I actually saw what I saw. I wish I’d turned around and taken a picture of it. But the billboard had done its job. It was a literal sign; Sully was telling me that he was okay and that he wanted me to have a new pal in my life. It was perfectly in character for him. Sully was a protector, and always wanted his family to be safe and happy.
Okay, yeah… I’m choosing to find meaning in a highway billboard that I saw. But when the Universe speaks, you listen. I’m not ready to find a new pal quite yet. It’s much too soon. But it’s nice to know that the Universe (and Sully) want me to be ready for it.
I’m back home now, sitting in the easy chair where I always work. Sully should be in his chair next to me. He’s been with me as I wrote, drew, animated, and edited everything for over a decade. He was the best pal ever. And it will be rough going trying to be creative without him next to me.
But life must go on, and I’ll continue to create and tell stories. Someday I’ll have a new shadow to help me do that. Sully told me that this will happen via a sign in the hills of Wyoming, once again making me feel a bit like Roy Neary.
Thanks for reading.
Now go hug your pals.
-Otis
I'm so sorry for your loss, Otis. We've had to say goodbye to some wonderful furry family as well, and it's never easy. With regards to your trip, you're speaking my language. I turn 50 in 4 years, and I communicated to my wife that the only thing I wanted was to go to Devils Tower. Close Encounters and Roy's journey have spoken to me like no other movie, and I completely understand the desire to go... it's almost unexplainable to anyone else though.
Oh man, I’m so sorry. Pets are the best, which makes saying goodbye the worst. Sully had a great life and all the love, what a wonderful legacy.
As for the comics, you’re giving them away, for Free! So don’t stress too much. I’m going to be a big fan regardless of the schedule… Can’t wait to get a physical copy of “The Mighty Yoobai” when the time comes, too.