Toby

Nicole- I am so glad to hear form you regarding Castaway Critters. In May we adopted a dog named Toby. My family and I went to the rescue to possibly adopt a female yellow lab. I've always had it in my mind that I never wanted a boy dog and because of being a neat freak, I certainly never wanted a black dog. When we arrived at the foster's home we were very nicely greeted by a black male dog. My husband and daughter fell in love with this dog(that I didn't want). After leaving for home without him, we drove 25 miles, turned around, and adopted Toby. We had a few concerns initially, mostly about his growling and sometimes attempted biting. I adopted a dog with the intentions of owning a therapy dog. After the first couple of days, I contacted Jeanie, the foster, and came very close to returning the dog. Three days after bringing Toby home, we enrolled him in obedience class. There, he was head strong and quick to growl at other dogs and me. The instructors were very unsure that he was therapy dog material. We continued to take him to class and work with faithfully. This last Tuesday night he passed his test. He has come such a long way and is now a therapy dog!!!! Over the last four months, he has become such a good boy. He is loved beyond belief and has the life of a king. I am planning to write to Jeannie and send her a few pictures. During one of our conversations, I told Jeannie of my desire to use an undergroud fence with Toby. She said that because he was so headstrong, it will probably never work. He is now fully trained and enjoying his freedom in our yard(when we're out with him). He goes everywhere we can possibly take him. Toby has filled a very large void in my life. Not only do I have empty nest syndrome because my daughter has left for college, but we lost our dog a year ago. My heart has ached ever since. Thank you all for everything you do.I'll write to Jeannie. -Cathy