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          Scott Van Pelt pays tribute to Otis the dog in 'One Big Thing'

          • ESPN
          Apr 29, 2022, 04:46 PM

          A person and their dog. When that pet is your friend, confidante and companion, there aren't many relationships truer.

          ESPN's Scott Van Pelt's dog Otis became a staple of his video segments from home during the pandemic. It was a common scene for many people working from home -- having more time with their pets and working with their dogs nearby, ready to make cameos on videoconferences.

          In "Just So Stories," English poet and writer Rudyard Kipling wrote a dog is "the first friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always."

          When you lose that friend, it's profound. Otis died recently, and Van Pelt used his regular segment "One Big Thing" to pay tribute. "If this hurt is the cost of the transaction for being on the receiving end of a mighty love that I got to know in Otis the dog, then I pay it with enormous gratitude," Van Pelt said in the segment.

          Twitter can be a tough forum for raw moments. And then, every once in a while, a thread comes around that hits home. Van Pelt's tribute to Otis did just that, and users replied with pictures and memories of their own work-from-home companions.