Toby Gets A New Home
SEARCH BLOG: PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.
We first came across Toby on a walk. He set up quite a commotion as we walked toward him. My wife wanted to turn around toward the way we came, but there was something about him that told me there was not going to be a problem. So we continued by and finished our walk.
A few days later, I walked alone that way. There he was behind the fence in the garbage strewn yard. Once again, Toby made a racket. I stopped and looked right at him. He was quiet briefly, but then started in again. I raised my arm and pointed at him and said firmly, "No!" Then walked away.
A day or two later, I walked that way, again. Toby saw me and waited until I was closer before he started in with the noise. I stopped, said "No!", and walked on. He stopped his noise a little sooner than usual.
The next week, my wife and I walked by Toby's house. He began his routine. This time I walked up to the fence against the protestations of my wife. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few treats and dropped them over the fence. Toby took them cautiously, but he took them. And he was quiet as we walked away.
A few day's later, my wife asked me if we were going to walked down that way again. I said I thought we could do that. Then she asked if I had some treats with me to which I answered affirmatively. This time, Toby started to make his usual racket when he heard us approach, but stopped as soon as he saw us. I walked up to the fence and handed him some treats rather than dropping them over the fence. He took them and looked at me as he ate them with something on the order of acceptance. We continued our walk in the quiet.
Weeks went by with us stopping by several times each week. Toby seemed to await us almost eagerly. No noise anymore. As we would approach, he would sit down next to the fence and wait. He would take the treats out of my hand. My wife genuinely cared about him, but kept her distance. Summer was turning to fall and the days were getting colder. Toby was always outside, but on this one day he seemed lethargic. He came over to the fence to greet us, but we could see that one foot had been injured as he could barely touch the ground with it. We filled a dish with treats next to him and he slowly took one at a time, but there seemed to be a sadness in his eyes.
Toby's foot gradually healed and the weather got colder. My wife and I were concerned though. He still walked around the junk-filled yard every day. He seemed too thin. We continued to bring him treats.
The nights became frosty and the days cool. As I walked toward Toby's house one day, I saw a couple of men across the street from him. I stopped to talked with them after I left Toby his treats. One of them, Bob, said he was concerned about Toby, too. He said that he had talked with a woman in the house and laid out his concerns. He said that he had given Toby food and water dozens of times when he stopped by to visit his mother who lived across the street from Toby. But his mother had just died and he wouldn't be stopping by much anymore. He gave me his telephone number and said that he and his wife could get Toby help.
Then next day, I left a note in the mailbox at Toby's house expressing my concern about Toby being in the yard so much now that it was cold. I left my telephone number and said that if they felt that they could not give Toby appropriate care with winter approaching they should call me and I'd set up new arrangements for him. A few days later, I got the call.
Bob and Pat work with animal rescue, so I called Bob and told him that Toby was available. This was Thanksgiving. I gave Bob the woman's telephone number and he said he'd be in touch with her in a few days.
This weekend, Pat called to tell me that Toby came to stay with them for about a week and he was really happy. Unfortunately, they couldn't let Toby stay there indefinitely, but they located a retired man who lived alone and had recently lost his companion of many years. They took Toby to this man and said that they appeared to get along really well, but they would continue to check in to be sure it was working out.
Pat said Toby filled the void left by the loss of the man's Golden Labrador that Toby looked very much like. Toby had been given a long-overdue bath and been taken for a checkup and his shots. Pat said she could see that Toby was quite intelligent and now spent much of his time inside his new home although he had a nice clean, big yard in which to play. She said that the only trouble Toby had with the old man was when Toby pulled some of the lights off the Christmas tree. But she said the man knew how to handle Toby with a firm, but gentle, kindness and she knew that the 1-year old Golden Labrador would soon forget his unfortunate first year.
Pat and I wished each other a Merry Christmas and agreed that getting involved when you see an unfortunate situation might cause some anxiety, but in this case was well worthwhile. We know that Toby and his lonely retired companion will have a much happier Christmas as a result.
As for me, I have a lot of treats left over since Toby moved away, but I carry them with me on my walks. I've made some new friends.
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