Goodbye Toby!

This was going to be a post about our trip to Napa last week, but before I get to that, I want to say goodbye to our furkid, Whirlewind Tobias Stud Mahler. He was a the most unusual, multidimensional animal that I have ever encountered. He had a medical condition called "mega esophagus" which caused him to throw up...all day...every day. When Ryan and I first started dating, I couldn't believe that this dog went through this much suffering and still managed to be so full of joy...that was 3.5 years ago and I still can't believe he maintained such a spirit under the circumstances. I also couldn't believe how big Ryan's heart was that he willingly took on this special dog, but now, I understand that it wasn't Toby who received the most benefit, it was Ryan and (when I came into the picture) it was also me.

This was a dog who maybe had some wires crossed in his brain and there were certain things that would make him (literally) crazy. If he was in the car or if he was on the other side of a babygate, he would try to bite you and would bark and growl and look like a homicidal maniac. The second he got out of the car or you crossed the babygate...it was as if his previous behavior had never occurred! He would rub up against your legs and give you all the love in the world, which was really his specialty...not the crazy part. You got the feeling that he felt slightly embarrassed after one of his episodes and he would walk around making a noise that sounded somewhat like muttering... justifying why he had to act the way he did. (If you haven't already noticed, we attributed a LOT of human emotions to our little Tobe-ster, but as any pet parent will tell you, it's almost impossible not to!)

In addition to his occasional crazed actions and his fits of puking...he was the most loving and sweet dog. He didn't care about food or toys like our other dog Romeo. He would come straight to us for some love and only after he was certain we didn't have any strength left in our arms to scratch his back, he would make his way over to his step stool, from which he would eat his blended food at an elevated position. It always seemed like such a shame to us that he threw up all the time and therefore, was unable to cuddle with us on the couch or sleep with us at night. Toby wanted so very badly to be a cuddler, but there were very few people who were willing to cuddle with him...nobody likes a lap full of partially digested dog food. I am so very thankful for all of the times I was able to cuddle him and hold him and tell him he was a good boy. I'm so grateful that he let me hold him when he was having one of his bad days and was barely able to stand up because he was so weak. I thank God that he was with his Grandma and his aunts when he died, so that he felt loved even though Ryan and I were not there.

I guess the point of this post is to say goodbye and that we will miss you Toby. Our house isn't the same without you and we will never forget you :)