On Wednesday, I unfortunately had to say goodbye to an unconditional friend of 11 years, our first dog, Toby. We got her when she was 6 weeks old, along with her sister Trini, from a friend of ours shortly after Rhian and I had bought our first house in 1997. We had initially wanted to get one puppy. Rhian even said that we weren't getting any if the puppies weren't cute. When we went to see them, there were only 2 left, and of course, Rhian thought they were "cutie"! She then said that we should take them both, since one would be lonely without the other. Toby was smaller than Trini, and always tried to make herself seem bigger, but always got along. We thought Toby was part cat, because even though she was only a foot high, she could leap through a four foot window, and even tight-rope walked a four foot chain-linked fence! She was extremely friendly to everybody, and wasn't shy about jumping onto your lap and licking your face, no matter who you were. She would lick my face every time I told her to give me a kiss. (I wonder why Rhian wouldn't kiss me after this!) :o) She loved rides in the car. When she was younger she would even hop through the open window of my car, waiting for a ride! After we got our house here in Stockbridge, she loved to go for walks in the woods behind us and swim in the creek. She would become Christian's friend after he was able to walk and talk. Even though Christian playfully would sit on her and pull her tail, (earning the nickname Calvin , after the mischievous comic strip character), she loved Christian unconditionally. She wagged her tail every time she saw him! While the other dogs would run away, she would stay for his company. They were great with each other. Christian returned the favor the day before she passed. While she was lying down, he sat beside her and told her "It's okay Toby" and stayed with her for about 15 minutes. Despite being ill, she still managed to wag her tail. She even got one last ride in the car on the way to the vet the day she passed. Despite not having enough energy to stand, she managed to sit up and enjoy the ride. It was a real privilege to have a dog like Toby. She epitomized the phrase "man's best friend". She will be tremendously missed.
On Wednesday, I unfortunately had to say goodbye to an unconditional friend of 11 years, our first dog, Toby. We got her when she was 6 weeks old, along with her sister Trini, from a friend of ours shortly after Rhian and I had bought our first house in 1997. We had initially wanted to get one puppy. Rhian even said that we weren't getting any if the puppies weren't cute. When we went to see them, there were only 2 left, and of course, Rhian thought they were "cutie"! She then said that we should take them both, since one would be lonely without the other. Toby was smaller than Trini, and always tried to make herself seem bigger, but always got along. We thought Toby was part cat, because even though she was only a foot high, she could leap through a four foot window, and even tight-rope walked a four foot chain-linked fence! She was extremely friendly to everybody, and wasn't shy about jumping onto your lap and licking your face, no matter who you were. She would lick my face every time I told her to give me a kiss. (I wonder why Rhian wouldn't kiss me after this!) :o) She loved rides in the car. When she was younger she would even hop through the open window of my car, waiting for a ride! After we got our house here in Stockbridge, she loved to go for walks in the woods behind us and swim in the creek. She would become Christian's friend after he was able to walk and talk. Even though Christian playfully would sit on her and pull her tail, (earning the nickname Calvin , after the mischievous comic strip character), she loved Christian unconditionally. She wagged her tail every time she saw him! While the other dogs would run away, she would stay for his company. They were great with each other. Christian returned the favor the day before she passed. While she was lying down, he sat beside her and told her "It's okay Toby" and stayed with her for about 15 minutes. Despite being ill, she still managed to wag her tail. She even got one last ride in the car on the way to the vet the day she passed. Despite not having enough energy to stand, she managed to sit up and enjoy the ride. It was a real privilege to have a dog like Toby. She epitomized the phrase "man's best friend". She will be tremendously missed.
1 comment:
Aww, thats so sweet. She was a great dog, and I remember her jumping in the car waiting for a ride! And they both looooved to swim! She will be missed :-)
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