Toby Update

Mike took Toby to K-9 guy, Shawn, for an interview Friday afternoon. Toby walked into a room full of other dogs, mostly caged, and didn't freak out. One dog was being walked in the same room on a leash, and there was no disturbance there either. Could it be our Toby? Shawn said that Toby is probably not terrier at all, that many people use that term loosely. It is much more likely that he has mastiff in his blood, as the double dewclaws and brindle coat are more common to that breed. He could also have some pit bull in him. Officially, he's all mutt.

Shawn said Alpha dogs feel tremendous stress to be leading all the time, and the stress/responsibility is what makes them act out. He would be a lot calmer if he could relinquish that responsibility to his owner(s). He also marveled at Toby's excellent physical condition for his age - must have been all that squirrel chasing and those wonderful walks. Shawn didn't think the basement during the day would be a problem. He will need a bed area there, and possibly a bed area for nighttime that is separate. Based on the assessment, mike and I would like to adopt him, and let mom have occasional visitation rights. She said it's awfully nice of us to do it, and offered to pay for a dog run on the side of the garage. We probably won't do a run, but we will clean up the area for his use. We also have to make the basement a bit tidier, so he doesn't get into anything dangerous. Mike and I are working on that this weekend. Kris offered to help us install a gate to the basement. It hasn't been finalized, but we think his 'boot camp' will start on Aug. 19th when we go on vacation. At that time, we will relieve everyone from their assistance. The thought is that he can start off fresh with us, in a new home, after boot camp. Thank you all!

I can't believe it either! But it's a good thing.