Toby...

"whadda ya want?"

 This is Toby my boyfriend's dog. As of February 2012 he will be 4 years old. He is a Chocolate Lab crossed with a bit of Pointer. When he was picked out of the litter at the pet store Dan was told he was pure Lab. Dan found out later on as Toby was growing that he had some Pointer in him and that he wasn't a purebred. Dan went and complained to the store who of course didn't care. They pretty much told him that "you bought 'em you keep 'em". As pissed as Dan was he had already fallen in love with this puppy named Toby and he wouldn't give him up for anything. Dan was looking for a bit of a refund for being sold something that was not as advertised. He definitely wasn't returning the dog!


Toby is a gorgeous animal. He has a sleek build with beautiful chocolate coloring to him with just a small patch of white on his chest. He has the most expressive brown eyes I have ever seen on a dog as well.  Like a typical dog he has learned how to give you the pouty look when he wants attention or a treat. He is also quite smart. He knows a few dozen words and seems to understand when he is being told something. He is like a little child most of the time; always pushing boundaries to see what he can get away with.

Sitting nicely for a treat

As Dan was raising Toby he made sure to raise a dog that was good natured and lovable. Toby loves people, tolerates other dogs pretty good and finds cats (like mine) intriguing. He loves to go for walks and play in big fields. He is an explorer dog as he is constantly sniffing out everything everywhere. Nothing is off limits for his sniffer it seems. Every time we go to the park (and he totally understands the words 'walk' and 'park') he is straining at the leash to get there ASAP. He never forgets where any park is that he has been too and knows the way to get there. We could walk to a park one day and drive the next going a different route and he will know that we are near a park he has been too. He seems to have that innate sense of direction and where he is at all times. 


One of Toby's favorite games to play is 'keep away' or 'try and catch me'. We have a ball chucker that really throws it far. Toby loves it. The only problem is that when he returns with the ball he doesn't return the ball; it becomes game time and he plays the games I mentioned above. You definitely get your exercise as he is getting his when you take him to the park. At the local park we take him to there is a small group of dog owners that come out most every evening around the same time and it is great as it allows Toby to make friends and socialize with the other dogs.


In many ways Toby is a spoiled puppy. He gets treats every day and 9 times out of 10 Toby gets to go to work with Dan. Dan works in property management/maintenance and goes to various sites around the city and he takes Toby with him. Toby is rarely alone and everyone loves him. You can't help but love a beautiful dog with a wonderful temperament. The only real down side to Toby is that he is a jealous dog. He doesn't like it when you give attention to the cat and not him. He is a bit of a 'drama boy' that way. He is very much like Dan! LOL.


During his puppy year(s) Dan made sure Toby got lots of love. One of Toby's favorite things to do is cuddle. Whenever Toby was whining or crying as a puppy he would be cuddled to provide comfort and he was lavished with attention at every opportunity. Dan is a staunch believer is showing your pets all your love all the time. So now whenever you are laying on the bed Toby wants to be invited up and he will crawl under the covers and lay beside you. At any time if he feels you are upset or the emotional tone in the room is not a positive one he will come over to you and whine hoping you will cuddle him so the two of you can share some love and comfort. Toby is an absolute sweetheart that way. 

"Num num num this is tasty!"

For the most part Toby and Misty (our pets) are OUR children but when one of them is bad or messes up they become "YOUR cat did this" or "YOUR dog did that" etc. It is quite funny. Just like parents bitching & complaining about their kids to each other! LOL. In the end though you don't care about the messes and other bad stuff as they are your children, your family, and you love them. There is nothing or no one that can make you give them up.


I grew up with pets of all kinds and have loved them all but it is always the ones we have now that we love the most. With my cat and Dan's dog we definitely have the ones we love the most at this time of our lives.