Toby 13-175

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Merry Christmas, Toby! Love, your pal Shiloh 13-176  Merry Christmas, Toby! Love, your pal Shiloh 13-176

 

Merry Christmas Toby!  Love Tori and Taylor "Merry Christmas Toby. Love Tori and Taylor.


In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
7/18/2013 Physical or none Age 10+ (he is scared of noisy kids) Another self-confident dog Yes
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.


July 18, 2013
Toby is a 4 year old, absolutely gorgeous/handsome male, probably not purebred since his ears are so long, but close.  Toby comes to RAGOM from a shelter where he was surrendered because the owners had too many dogs.  We've had him in foster care for a few weeks without posting him because we were considering adopting him ourselves.  His temperament is perfect.  We have not seen an iota of aggression and I trust him implicitly around my granddaughter.  We decided, however, that Toby will get the attention he deserves if we instead adopt him out to some lucky home that will have more time to devote to him.  We have seven dogs at our house and he deserves more attention.

Toby is up-to-date on shots and is neutered.  Other than an ear infection which we are treating, he is very healthy and ready to be adopted.  We do have to take in a fecal to make sure it is negative since he came to us with whipworms, but he has been treated, so hopefully the next fecal will be clean.  He is ready to find his forever home.

Because of his previous living environment, Toby does have many of the characteristics of a puppy mill dog.  Loud noises will send him flying into the other room.  It takes him a while to feel comfortable enough to come up to you to be petted, but once he does feel comfortable, he is very happy to see you when you come home.  He is reliably housetrained and we have had no accidents at all since he arrived.  He also has not lifted his leg to mark on anything inside or outside (must have been neutered early).    Toby does have some storm anxiety.  He doesn't destroy the house, but will hide under the desk or climb up in bed with you.  We have let him get on the couch and the bed and he has learned that those are comfy spots. He doesn't quite get what a toy is for and won't chase a tennis ball, but is starting to pick up stuffed animals and run with them for a minute.  Toby is also nervous in the car.  He gets in and out fine, but pants and will benefit from lots of short rides so he learns that the car is not a scary thing.

Toby's perfect forever home will have another dog to help him feel comfortable.  Also, when he sees you petting another dog, he comes up to you because he doesn't want to miss out.  He will do best in a home with no children or children over ten.  I would totally trust him around young children if you have visiting grandchildren, nieces/nephews, etc., but kids making a lot of noise would scare him.  A quiet, gentle single child would be ok.  He does great with my 9 year old granddaughter.  I'm torn on whether he needs a fence or not.  I don't believe he would do well tied out, but on leash, he would be fine and after a lot of obedience training so he learns a recall, he could be outside with a person unfenced, but not yet.  He hasn't jumped our chain link fence, but he did jump the picket fence at the end of our property.  The funny thing was that he jumped right back in again.  We put up some chicken coop wire so he couldn't jump it a second time.  I do not think that he would do well being trained to an invisible fence as the correction to train him would likely cause him to be too scared to go outside again.

The most important criteria for an adoptive home is one that wants to help him become a self-confident dog and to accomplish that, he would benefit from obedience training at a public facility and lots of socialization.  His temperament is so wonderful that with sufficient training and acclimating to wheelchairs, etc., I think he could enjoy being a therapy dog.

At a Glance #13-175

Golden Retriever Born: June 2009
Male 60 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Merry Christmas, Toby! Love, your pal Shiloh 13-176  Merry Christmas, Toby! Love, your pal Shiloh 13-176

 

Merry Christmas Toby!  Love Tori and Taylor "Merry Christmas Toby. Love Tori and Taylor.


In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
7/18/2013 Physical or none Age 10+ (he is scared of noisy kids) Another self-confident dog Yes
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.


July 18, 2013
Toby is a 4 year old, absolutely gorgeous/handsome male, probably not purebred since his ears are so long, but close.  Toby comes to RAGOM from a shelter where he was surrendered because the owners had too many dogs.  We've had him in foster care for a few weeks without posting him because we were considering adopting him ourselves.  His temperament is perfect.  We have not seen an iota of aggression and I trust him implicitly around my granddaughter.  We decided, however, that Toby will get the attention he deserves if we instead adopt him out to some lucky home that will have more time to devote to him.  We have seven dogs at our house and he deserves more attention.

Toby is up-to-date on shots and is neutered.  Other than an ear infection which we are treating, he is very healthy and ready to be adopted.  We do have to take in a fecal to make sure it is negative since he came to us with whipworms, but he has been treated, so hopefully the next fecal will be clean.  He is ready to find his forever home.

Because of his previous living environment, Toby does have many of the characteristics of a puppy mill dog.  Loud noises will send him flying into the other room.  It takes him a while to feel comfortable enough to come up to you to be petted, but once he does feel comfortable, he is very happy to see you when you come home.  He is reliably housetrained and we have had no accidents at all since he arrived.  He also has not lifted his leg to mark on anything inside or outside (must have been neutered early).    Toby does have some storm anxiety.  He doesn't destroy the house, but will hide under the desk or climb up in bed with you.  We have let him get on the couch and the bed and he has learned that those are comfy spots. He doesn't quite get what a toy is for and won't chase a tennis ball, but is starting to pick up stuffed animals and run with them for a minute.  Toby is also nervous in the car.  He gets in and out fine, but pants and will benefit from lots of short rides so he learns that the car is not a scary thing.

Toby's perfect forever home will have another dog to help him feel comfortable.  Also, when he sees you petting another dog, he comes up to you because he doesn't want to miss out.  He will do best in a home with no children or children over ten.  I would totally trust him around young children if you have visiting grandchildren, nieces/nephews, etc., but kids making a lot of noise would scare him.  A quiet, gentle single child would be ok.  He does great with my 9 year old granddaughter.  I'm torn on whether he needs a fence or not.  I don't believe he would do well tied out, but on leash, he would be fine and after a lot of obedience training so he learns a recall, he could be outside with a person unfenced, but not yet.  He hasn't jumped our chain link fence, but he did jump the picket fence at the end of our property.  The funny thing was that he jumped right back in again.  We put up some chicken coop wire so he couldn't jump it a second time.  I do not think that he would do well being trained to an invisible fence as the correction to train him would likely cause him to be too scared to go outside again.

The most important criteria for an adoptive home is one that wants to help him become a self-confident dog and to accomplish that, he would benefit from obedience training at a public facility and lots of socialization.  His temperament is so wonderful that with sufficient training and acclimating to wheelchairs, etc., I think he could enjoy being a therapy dog.

Updates

Thursday, August 14, 2014

What can we say? Toby is the best! Such a sweet and affectionate dog who has settled in nicely with his confident sister Susie, and Sebastian, the black cat, who accepted him from Day 1. Toby remains somewhat skittish with unexpected noises, and still chooses to take his meals anywhere but in the kitchen where a dish might clank, but is gradually earning to relax and enjoy life.  We think his early life must have been pretty rough though and try every day to show him that no one will ever neglect him or abuse him again. I will never forget him stretching out on the couch shortly after arriving, with his head on a pillow and giving a sigh, as if realizing, yes, this place will do nicely as my forever home.

Toby has also experienced two sailing and beach adventures on Lake Michigan, each time adapting to his boating and beach experiences quite nicely. He has one more week of sailing and beach time to look forward to this summer. Toby loved visiting family in Cleveland recently and also took a dip in Lake Erie. Interestingly, Toby's feet are not webbed - and gripped the rocks on the beach like talons!

Now and then Toby decides to imitate the cat, and stands on mom's chest while she is lying in bed or on the couch.  As a 60 lb cat, Toby is encouraged to lie down and (thankfully) eventually does so.

Toby has learned about toys and now and then grabs a toy from the toy basket to check out. That is really fun to see.

The other day Susie led him out to the end of the downspout in their play area where they heard a noise. Mom got them inside and rescued the ground squirrel stuck inside. Susie always waits for Toby to go outside whenever she decides it is time to play outside - - she licks his face alot and demonstrates the art of lying on her back for Toby---who actually imitated her the other day. How is that for expressing a feeling of trust?

Recently, Toby and Susie saw a deer in their backyard.  Toby leaped over the unbreachable fence to check out the deer, which has left mom and dad scratching their heads as to how best to Toby-proof the fence. Likely a few more inches of height will do the trick. Toby also wears a GPS device on his collar, so would be trackable regardless.

Toby is quickly learning commands, and remains a good walker, with no pulling, ever. However, he remains quite shy when new people appear on the scene, tucking his tail between his legs. While he initially trembled slightly if we didn't move along, now he just sits as far away as he can and waits for us to keep going. This is nothing like the trembling Toby we first met earlier this summer. He also is definitely is more confident on his walks when he has Susie along.  

We use Toby's tail as a barometer as to how confident he is feeling. In his play area, the tail is fully out and just beautiful.  When we talk to him, the tail is wagging.  When initially meeting family members in our home, that tail is tucked in.  However, it is not long before Toby understands that this new person is another kind person who he can trust. One daughter decided Toby might enjoy a new pair of glasses (see pictures).

Susie and Toby make the most beautiful pair of dogs. We are so lucky to have Toby as part of our family.

Thank you to RAGOM for letting us adopt him.

We couldn't decide on just one picture - so attached a few!

Burdell and Barbara C

Ames, Iowa

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Foster mom asked me to write my own update. She's been out of commission for the past three weeks with a bronchial infection, so we haven't been doing much, which is OK with me. Going places scares me and I love being home. She tells me I have a great recall and when she calls my name, I run up to her so excited to see her. I also love treats of any kind. I walk really nice on a leash, don't pull at all. Foster mom does keep me double-leashed because new things scare me. She said I should go to school and develop some self-confidence. I like to read magazines and books on occasion and if you leave a good smelling sock or glove lying around, I might snack on that too. Foster mom says I'm the nicest, gentlest dog that ever was born and that some day I'll find the perfect family for me. In the meantime, I'm good hanging out here. If you'd like to meet me, please contact your placement advisor.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Toby continues to be a wonderful, gorgeous dog.  He had a lot of dreadlock fur cut off him when he first came into RAGOM and we've been concerned that the fur didn't seem to be filling back in.  It does seem to finally be growing back.  We're starting to add some Missing Link to his food to give him extra vitamins and see if that along with some fish oil tablets will soften his fur.  His head is super soft, but his back end is a little dry.  It could be his breed mix, but we'll tray some extra supplements and see if that helps him develop a fuller coat. 

Toby went to Goldzilla.  He, in his gentle way, gets along with all dogs and all people.  However, he shook for four hours while we were there.  He's just not comfortable in new enviroments.  We didn't take him to the swimming hole so I still don't know if he likes water or not.  My guess is that he wouldn't have a clue what it was.  

We dogsat my stepson's two dogs for a weekend.  You can see him meeting the boxer mix, Krypto.  Toby is excellent with dog meetings.  I was hoping that since Krypto is young and Toby is young that maybe the two of them would run and play.  Krypto play bowed and ran around and Toby looked at him but didn't appear to have a clue what he was supposed to do.  Maybe if Krypto had been here longer than two days, Toby would have figured it out.  With Krypto and Cooper visiting, there were nine dogs at foster mom's house for the weekend.  Toby's the handsome boy with the pretty blue scarf in the center of everyone.  

Toby has learned that Scooter (Golden/Aussie mix) and Mika (little Shiba Inu) run out the door at 100 miles an hour in search of that ever elusive squirrel.  He has now joined in the chase.  When I say, "who wants to go outside?" Toby, Scooter and Mika are first in line and run, run, run around the yard for about 20 seconds to see if there might be a critter to chase.  Someone, I'm guessing Mika, caught and killed a rabbit last week.  Everyone, including Toby, was interested in smelling it, but no one picked it up and ate it -- thank you dogs.  This has made the backyard much more interesting as the three run around at full speed.

Toby went to a RAGOM event a week ago and was such a good boy.  He always does so well with the meet and greets, but in typical Toby fashion, shakes the whole time he is there.  He gets in and out of the car much better and rides quietly (with some nervous slobber) in the crate in the car.  Toby walks beautifully on a leash, but I keep him double leashed with a gentle leader and a slip lead so we don't have another accidental escape. I still find it hard to believe that he bolted last month.  He's very much a velcro dog inside and outside, but he showed us that when he's scared, his instinct instead of his brain takes over.  Our granddaughter now has swimming lessons on Saturdayafternoons at the same time as the RAGOM meet and greets so Toby won't be able to attend often, but we'll try to get him there as often as we can.

We are totally enjoying having Toby with us.  He is one of the easiest foster dogs I have ever had the pleasure to foster and we've fostered hundreds.  If you fit the puppy mill criteria of a fence (to keep him safe), another dog (to keep him comfortable) and no children under ten (they are too noisy and would scare him -- but he'd never hurt one), let your placement advisor know that you would like to meet Toby.  You will be so glad you did.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

I have been really dragging my feet on writing updates and looking for an adoptive home for my sweet Toby.  We'd keep him in a heartbeat, but the timing just isn't right and he deserves better.  Some adoptive home is going to be lucky to have him.

He continues to be the most gentle, wonderful boy.  He went to a couple of RAGOM meet and greets in the past month.  The first one was at the Ollu dog wash where we bathed him.  He was anxious, but did great at the bath.  Outside at the event, he shook for the first 1/2 hour then relaxed.  By the end, he was resting his head comfortably on an adopted RAGOM dog that came to visit.  The whole day was environment overlead and other than shaking from all the new experiences, he was perfect.  We parked in the parking garage, took the elevator to the street where there were trucks, motorcycles, cars, bicycles, tons of people of all shapes and sizes.  He was curious, he was nervous, but his anxiety never turns into aggression.  It was quite fun getting to show him off.

My 9 year old granddaughter accompanied Toby and me to the next meet and greet.  She was his handler.  Riding in the car, he does best in a kennel.  We had him loose in the backseat this time and he stands up instead of relaxing and pants and drools.  He is more relaxed in the kennel in the car so that is where he will ride in the future.  Again, he shook for about 1/2 hour, but does beautifully meeting all dogs, big and little, and is wonderful with the people attention. 

His friend Shiloh 13-176 is in another foster home.  Shiloh's foster parents did a DNA test on her and she is part Golden Retriever, part English Setter and part Siberian Husky.  While she has really short legs and may have the dwarf gene, and we don't know if Shiloh and Toby are littermates, he very much looks like English Setter could be a part of his DNA too, but I haven't had him tested.

If he hasn't been adopted by some lucky family, he will be attending the Goldzilla event and in the foster parade.  If you are looking for a new furry friend for your family and want a really easy dog that is an absolute love, ask your placement advisor about Toby.