Otto was more than a good dog. The German wirehaired pointer made a name for himself hunting invasive species in the tangled canals and swamps of South Florida, tracking down iguanas and pythons with acrobatic agility and serious heart. As the right-hand dog of Mike Kimmel — better known as the Python Cowboy — Otto became a fixture on Kimmel’s YouTube and Instagram pages, and a social-media star in his own right.
But after years of sniffing out snake dens and chasing ornery reptiles through the underbrush, Otto was hit by a car and killed during a hunt on July 5. He was five years old. Kimmel, who did not respond immediately to a request for comment, broke the news in a YouTube video on Friday.
“It doesn’t seem real,” Kimmels says in the video while choking back tears. “It’s so much different than losing a human loved one … It just seems like it hurts worse.”
Kimmel’s grief is raw, and it’s familiar to anyone who’s ever had a hunting dog that became more than a tool. Otto wasn’t just part of the operation. He was what Kimmel referred to as “the tip of the spear.”
“Even through injury and pain, over rocks, jagged metal, and steep embankments, he was a warrior while working with Dad, but Mama’s baby in the house,” Kimmel said. “Sitting down on the couch after a long day won’t be the same without him laying on me smelling like ditch water.”
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Kimmel added that he’s trying to stay thankful for the years they had, rather than be bitter for what was lost. Kimmel knows he can’t replace his dog, but he’s not trying to, either. Because Otto’s bloodline lives on.
Just before his death, Kimmel explained, Otto sired a litter of 10 puppies. Kimmel plans to train them with the same grit and determination that made Otto the rare dog he was. It won’t be fast or easy, but he says it’s the best way to honor Otto’s legacy.
“Each dog going forward will be measured against his standard,” Kimmel said. “We owe him that much.”
Up until his passing, Otto had become something of a legend in Florida’s invasive species removal community. He was trained to hunt iguanas and track Burmese pythons, which are unusual jobs, even for a versatile gun dog, but the young pointer took to them with intensity and athleticism. Otto was profiled by Outdoor Life in 2022, and Kimmel extolled his dog for his ability to retrieve and subdue the aggressive lizards.
“A big iguana uses its muscular tail to whip an adversary, and he’ll bite and claw. They try to bite Otto’s ears when he chomps down on them,” Kimmel said at the time, when the dog was just two. “But he’s learned to shake them and kill them fast.”
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Otto wasn’t all work, though. “We spent so much time together, I feel like we started to act and even look like each other,” Kimmel said. “He became an extension of me.”
That kind of bond doesn’t come easy or often. Many in the hunting world call them once-in-a-lifetime dogs. Most of us are lucky if we get even one. Otto, Kimmel said, was his.
“Thankfully, I knew what I had. And we made the most of our time together.”
In the days since Otto’s death, messages of admiration and support have poured in from followers, clients, and friends who hunted alongside the dog or admired his work.
“This pup was a force, a true Florida badass. Fearless, sharp, and loyal to the bone,” wrote Christina Wilson, also known as Florida Wild Woman.
“Otto was a legend,” Chris Kyttle wrote in an Instagram comment. “His instincts, loyalty, and unmatched skill made him one of a kind. The Everglades lost a true guardian, and we lost a hero.”
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