Toby’s Tale — More About Toby

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by Jessica Wilson

                Recently, I adopted a two-year-old golden retriever from Gateway Golden Retriever Rescue. Toby quickly adapted to living with me and my cat, Gizmo. He was malnourished, but brighter days have arrived for Toby.
                Tremendous strides have been made recently inside the house. Toby has had no more “accidents” and no longer has to be crated when I leave the house, although I close the bedroom doors because he jumps onto the bed and pulls back the comforter to snooze. 
                With any dog, there’s always time needed for the animal to adjust and find its place within the family. With a rescued dog, that’s even harder. Since I don’t know much about Toby’s life before he came to live with me, everything is a learning experience – from discovering he loves having his belly scratched to the fact he’s quite scared of teenage boys. I don’t know if it was a teenager that treated him badly in his last home, but Toby begins to shake and cower whenever a young man comes close to him. Despite that, I’ve learned that he loves people – as long as the don’t raise their voices around him. 
                Toby loves other dogs. If we’re walking and pass another dog, I have to hold on tight to his leash as he jumps straight up in the air like a kangaroo. Heaven forbid we get close enough for him to reach the dog because he raises his paw and whacks them on the head. Thankfully, he hasn’t hurt them yet.
                Toby loves to run, which I discovered the hard way. On a visit to my mother’s house, she opened the front door and Toby bolted out of the house. I’ve never seen a dog run so fast in my life. He went running up the street, and since I still hadn’t figured out what commands he knew, I couldn't make him stop or come to me. Thankfully, I finally managed to catch up to him.
                Since I live in a condominium, Toby doesn't get the chance to run and play as much as he would like. He loves to play with sticks and balls, so we’ll go into the backyard and play a bit, but I take him to the park as often as I can.
                   On our first visit to Queeny Park, I was a little nervous because I didn’t know how he would behave, and I also worried that somehow he would run away from me like he did at home. Toby had a grand time prancing around, checking out all the sights and smells. Then, as we were headed back to the car, we came upon two horses. Toby heard one of the horses whinny and the poor guy jumped three feet into the air and dropped to the ground and began to shake. It took me a few minutes to get him going again.
                Toby and I also made our first journey to PetSmart for a vet appointment and to sign him up for obedience classes – he has apparently never heard the words stay or heel before. Once we got inside the store, he proceeded to pick up every toy that was at mouth level.
                By far, the thing that Toby loves most is cuddling. He loves to climb in people’s laps to be petted. My mom can’t sit in my house without having Toby climb in her lap, and heaven forbid she stop petting him because he’ll paw at her chest and then put his head on her stomach and look up at her with his big brown eyes until she caves in. 
                Toby has had a rough start in life, but he seems to slowly be adjusting to life in his new home. Stay tuned next month to find out how Toby’s first trip to the vet goes and the start of obedience classes.

September Featured Stories Coffee Break with the Barista Creating Mind, Body & Spirit Health — One Peace at a Time, by Milan Galan, Ph.D. Waking Up to the Truth About Sleep, by Jessica Wilson The Power of Sound, by Marian Rein Health Myths & Facts, by Pamela Kramer Childress Mind, Body & Spirit Health at Midlife and Menopause by Diane G. Sanford, Ph.D. Age – It’s Simply A Number, by Milan Galan, Ph.D. Physical and Mental Well-Being Combining Body, Mind & Spirit, by Jill Barrett Getting Better With Age: A Healthy Perspective, by Phylis Clay Sparks A Piece of Kitchen Nostalgia Returns — Retro Appliance Comes to the Aid of Busy Families, by Mary K. Morgan The Healthy Side of Your Morning Brew, by Marian Rein Todd Lewis If you make a list, it will come by Pamela Kramer Childress Toby’s Tale — More About Toby by Jessica Wilson Live Large Spend Small by Mary K. Morgan - September 2008 Java Journal Movie Morsels by Mary Morgan - September 2008