Remembering Otis Chad Tucker Facebook post honoring his dog Otis, Local WGHP 8 news anchor, Post had received thousands of likes shares and comments

“Everybody has that dog that meant so much to them,” Tucker said.

Tucker, a local news anchor with WGHP-8, is well-known for sharing much of his life with his viewers through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Otis was a frequent star of such posts, whether it was photos of him in a bow tie serving as the ring bearer at Tucker’s wedding when he married Meredith, his wife, in 2012, or videos of him and their daughter, 2-year-old Carson Parry, having a tea party. For nearly 10 years, Otis was also an occasional guest of broadcasts and always accompanied Tucker on appearances in parades and at children’s events.

Otis died three weeks ago after a brief illness. He spent a week at the Surry Animal Hospital and, after little improvement, Tucker made the decision to bring Otis home for one last weekend filled with all his favorite things.

“I picked him up on Friday and our first stop was Pilot Mountain,” Tucker said.

The weekend was filled with picnics, long car rides, ice cream, a visit with Otis’ favorite bank tellers and playtime with Carson Parry.

“We wanted him to know how much we loved him,” Tucker said. “We thanked him for all he did.”

On Sunday, after the better part of a day spent on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Tucker said it was clear that Otis’ time was nearly up. He had stopped eating, drinking and going to the bathroom.

Tucker and Meredith dropped Carson Parry off with a friend and arranged to meet their veterinarian at his office and say goodbye. Their 3-month-old daughter, Pearl Monroe, slept through the entire thing.

“You go in with this little guy that just means so much to you,” Tucker said, “and all you have when you leave is a collar.””