Toby

Toby's been part of the family for nearly ten years now. We met on a Saturday in November of 2015. MY kids had begged to go to go to Adopt-a-Pet to "just look". Long story short, I succumbed to the pleas of my children, as so many parents do, and we came home with Toby.  This cute little Jack Russell soon won over my heart.

Toby came from a shelter in southern Ohio. I suspect that he was a breeder in a puppy mill as he was still fully intact at the age of two. How he got lost or what his name was, we don't know. He does love to run off and explore though so it's no surprise that he got picked up and taken to the shelter. I highly recommend Adopt-a-pet, they're not just humane but loving towards the animals in their care, and they provide an invaluable service to the community.

Toby loves being outside as much as I do and If I'm in the yard or garden he's often with me checking things out or relaxing while I work. But despite being a fairly laid back fella he sometimes shows that there's a cold blooded killer under the cute facade. Having a dog outdoors usually means having to deal with wildlife encounters, many of which end tragically. Dogs do what their wired to do and it should be expected that there will be casualties, that's just part of the proposition. I like wildlife and I try to avoid killing animals and that means keeping Toby at bay whenever possible. Having a dog is seen by some as a good way of keeping "pests" under control, but what is a pest? My survival does not depend on the food I grow here so I am free to take a more liberal approach to the wildlife and I prefer a live-and-let-live policy. I do not encourage him to kill wild animals, even when they're eating my garden, so in the absence of that, Toby is just a really good companion. He enriches my life and we enjoy each other's company especially outside. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without Toby. He truly is a member of the family.