Toby A-A CD CGC
May 6, 1982 - March 20, 2000
Toby was the first dog I owned personally and was the ultimate pet. I got him on a whim in 1982. His father "Bart" was a registered red merle Australian Shepherd and his mother "Joby" was a blue merle Aussie cross although she looked purebred. Toby's litter was my introduction to the sometimes devastating results of breeding two merles together. All of Toby's sisters were double merles and one was born deaf.
Toby had an idyllic puppyhood on Windfields Farm (home of Northern Dancer) in Chesapeake City, MD. He went to the barn with me all day, every day and practically trained himself. The farm manager permitted dogs on the farm and in the barns provided they stayed out of the pastures. Somehow, Toby knew this and never entered a field, even to the point of disobeying me when I called him to me while I was in an empty pasture.
When I discovered formal obedience training and competition, poor Toby had to learn from my mistakes. He was a very soft dog but I only knew one way to train and that was at cross purposes with his temperament. Needless to say, he did not like obedience but did as I asked because I asked. We earned our "All-American" CD and had trained for Open, but his lack of enjoyment was obvious so I retired him when Simon joined us.
I moved several times in Toby's younger days. He went with me to live and work in Kentucky, back to Maryland, on to Louisiana, and finally home for good. He was with me through some very difficult times. Never asking, always giving.
Toby was my father's favorite non-human travelling companion. Dad would take him along on errands and take him in to all kinds of business establishments where a dog had no place being, but Toby never embarrassed Dad on their little forays.
Like all Aussies, Toby needed a job. His job was to bring the paper in each morning and he did it with great enthusiasm. Finally, his eyesight became too poor for him to find the paper so I had to delegate the task to Panda.
At 17+ years of age, Toby's strong spirit finally wasn't enough to overcome his ever-failing strength. His loss of mobility removed what enjoyment he got out of life and difficult as it was, I knew it was time to show him the way to the Bridge. I am sure that Simon was waiting to welcome him on the other side. I will always miss his kind, gentle, dignified ways, but I can take solace in knowing that he is now at peace.
Sleep well, Mr T....
Last updated 3/20/2000