Toby 12-390 [1]

D ecember 13, 2012

Toby arrived in Chanhassen yesterday. He is a big, sweet, gentle boy - so easy to have around - still have yet to hear him bark, hasn't chewed anything or counter surfed or anything the least bit naughty. I've given him free reign of the house for up to 4 hours while I'm at work, and he's just laying there on his bed when I come home. He's too big for the XL dog bed we had, so we took an old foam mattress topper, queen size, folded it in half and put a sheet over it, and it's the perfect size for him.

He has pretty much ignored our cat, even in close proximity - he barely gives him a sniff. My kids, 6 and 9, are gentle with him but do get in his face a lot, and he has no problem with it at all. I haven't heard anything close to a growl from him - he even lets me put my hand in his food dish while he's eating.

He walks nicely on a leash, listens well and seems eager to please. He seems to know a number of commands - sit, stay, shake, and he even gives kisses. He could not be a sweeter, nicer dog! So that's all the good news - the bad news is that he is limping, clearly has arthritis pain (really struggles with stairs), seems to have cataracts and an eye infection.... so we will be taking him to the vet asap.

Toby enjoys going for walks in the woods, eating snow, and sleeping on his big bed. He is a very mellow, dear old boy.