Opie Theodore Whinesalot

Opie was born at a lumberyard in Bad Axe, MI, on August 23, 2006. Opie first went to live with a lady who named him Ms. Grazie Mae. After a short time living there, Opie then moved into his forever home in mid-November 2006. At first, his persons could not come up with a mutually agreed name for him. He was given names such as Stormy, Stormin’ Norman, Norm. Then, by accident one day, he was called Opposite Pete, after his mentor Pete who was opposite in colors and energy level as Pete! Opposite Pete was shortened to O.P. and it became Opie!!
Opie and Pete were joined several months later by Pete’s niece, Casper! Pete crossed the bridge in April 2008, leaving Opie and Casper together. Opie and Casper developed a special bond, and Casper was always known as Opie’s milady! Opie was always full of shenanigans, such as getting hold of full bags of treats, ripping them open, and devouring the contents, stealing fresh bags of cheese, watermelon, and trying to sneak away with a steak! One of Opie’s proudest accomplishments came in August 2010 when he took part in a watermelon-eating contest live on Facebook, which Opie overwhelmingly won! Opie was also proud of the time when he poked a hole in a can of his food! The only things Opie would not eat were Chinese catnip and blueberries! Everyone who knew Opie was aware of his hearty appetite, his way of carefully stealing food, and not allowing any boundaries to stand between him and food! Everyone who knew him marveled at his bottomless stomach!
Opie and Casper were joined in October 2014 by a stray kitten named Autumn. Casper and Autumn never warmed up to each other, but Opie tried to take Autumn under his wing. Casper sadly crossed the bridge in March 2017, and now it was just Opie and Autumn. Autumn was never able to fill Casper’s shoes.
After a minor health scare in early 2020, Opie decided to finally find a young prodigy, whom he could train properly. This is how he found Ophie! After Ophie’s arrival, Opie and Ophie warmed up to each other quickly! Ophie became known as Opie’s mini-me! Autumn never warmed up to Ophie, though. Autumn crossed the bridge in July 2021. For the next 3 and a half years, Opie taught Ophie everything he knew. In the fall of 2023, Opie’s hearty appetite started to wane. Eventually, Opie was diagnosed with an aggressive cancerous mouth tumor… Although his prognosis was not good, Opie kept his strong will! The illness wore him out more and more each day, but every night, even up to his last day, he would spend as much time as he could in his favorite spot, clinging to his person! Opie’s final wish came true on March 3, 2024, when he peacefully crossed the bridge in his sleep, at home, while laying with his person and Ophie.