Otis the 'ultimate' skydiving pug
The 10-year-old pooch, aloft since puppyhood, made his 64th jump this week. Does he really enjoy the thrill?
The video: Daredevils come in all shapes and sizes, as evidenced by Otis, "the ultimate skydiving pug." The diminutive, 10-year-old dog made his 64th jump this week (see video below), strapped as usual to his owner, Will DaSilva, a Galt, Calif., man who initiated Otis into the sport as a puppy. A co-worker at the Lodi Parachute Center, where DaSilva worked at the time, rigged up a pug-friendly harness, and Otis was soon experiencing the sensation of free-falling, equipped with eye-protecting "doggles." DaSilva tells The Sacramento Bee Otis is in no danger — "He's going to die of a food overdose, not from skydiving" — and DaSilva's fiancee believes Otis sees the sport as an extreme version of sticking his head out a moving car's window. "Otis," DaSilva says, "is living the ultimate dream."
The reaction: Unless you're a skydiver, too, "this adorable dog is braver than you," says Erin Podolak at Geekosystem. "Adorable (check out those goggles!) and badass." It's a given that a flying pug is going to be ridiculously cute, says Andrea Rosen at The FW. "But is it safe for dogs to skydive? And does Otis really enjoy hurtling through the air?" Otis may not be able to comment on his lifelong hobby, says Jamie Peck at Crushable, but if he didn't like it, there are other ways to make his opinion known, such as relieving himself or "generally freaking out." He doesn't, "and the look on Otis' face at the end of the video? Priceless!" Watch Otis' latest jump (check out the Bee's entire video; an excerpt via The Telegraph is below) and judge for yourself:
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