Toy was an incredibly handsome Doberman Pinscher. Slim and muscular with Dorito-shaped ears. We called him “The Nut Dog” because he was out of his friggen mind! He was hyperactive, excited, and thrilled to be alive!
Four years ago, after we put down our beautiful dobie-shepherd girl, we missed not having a dog around. So we started to look into rescue shelters. Although
a few months had passed and we had purchased 2 little furry ball guinea pigs that we immediately fell in love with, we craved the feeling of having a dog. Eventually, my daughter and I made the 2 hour plus drive to the dobie rescue shelter “just to look.”
Riding past avocado, orange, and lemon orchards, we arrived at the rescue home of at least 50-60 dogs. Lovingly cared for by one woman and local volunteers, my daughter and I must have pet every dog a couple of times. Finally, after an hour or so of visiting with different dogs, we couldn’t resist, and chose “our guy”. He was hot (it was over 100 degrees), bone thin, and smelly. But he gave us this look while laying on his cot that said “I’d get up again to see you but I don’t think I can take it. Please take me home with you.” So we did. It was a done deal.
When we got home, I washed him in our backyard, and we all looked at him as a new member of our family. We named him Toy, after the black dog I had as a child. I had a feeling that he reincarnated and came back to me. I even used to close my eyes and see his image around this new dog. Either way, this Toy
brought me a new sense of joy. That night, he slept next to me on the floor in his fresh bed. This was where my other dog used to lie. My husband kissed me goodnight and whispered “you got your dog,” knowing I was happy to love again.
I had never had a rescue dog before and I naively thought that all I ever had to do was just feed and love him and then everything would be fine. Wrong. Like puppies, you have to train then, give them boundaries and a job, and a become pack leader. Duh. I thought I could put my feet up and relax. But like kids, they test you with poop, barking, opposition, and independence. So we worked with our marvelous trainer, both privately and with classes, and soon Toy became the family pet.
Everywhere we went, people would stop their cars and
comment on his majestic beauty. It seemed everyone had a dobie love story to share. Even when we moved to a new house, our neighbors came over to welcome our dog to the neighborhood before us! Toy was a popular guy!
Four years ago, after we put down our beautiful dobie-shepherd girl, we missed not having a dog around. So we started to look into rescue shelters. Although
a few months had passed and we had purchased 2 little furry ball guinea pigs that we immediately fell in love with, we craved the feeling of having a dog. Eventually, my daughter and I made the 2 hour plus drive to the dobie rescue shelter “just to look.”Riding past avocado, orange, and lemon orchards, we arrived at the rescue home of at least 50-60 dogs. Lovingly cared for by one woman and local volunteers, my daughter and I must have pet every dog a couple of times. Finally, after an hour or so of visiting with different dogs, we couldn’t resist, and chose “our guy”. He was hot (it was over 100 degrees), bone thin, and smelly. But he gave us this look while laying on his cot that said “I’d get up again to see you but I don’t think I can take it. Please take me home with you.” So we did. It was a done deal.
When we got home, I washed him in our backyard, and we all looked at him as a new member of our family. We named him Toy, after the black dog I had as a child. I had a feeling that he reincarnated and came back to me. I even used to close my eyes and see his image around this new dog. Either way, this Toy
brought me a new sense of joy. That night, he slept next to me on the floor in his fresh bed. This was where my other dog used to lie. My husband kissed me goodnight and whispered “you got your dog,” knowing I was happy to love again.I had never had a rescue dog before and I naively thought that all I ever had to do was just feed and love him and then everything would be fine. Wrong. Like puppies, you have to train then, give them boundaries and a job, and a become pack leader. Duh. I thought I could put my feet up and relax. But like kids, they test you with poop, barking, opposition, and independence. So we worked with our marvelous trainer, both privately and with classes, and soon Toy became the family pet.
Everywhere we went, people would stop their cars and
comment on his majestic beauty. It seemed everyone had a dobie love story to share. Even when we moved to a new house, our neighbors came over to welcome our dog to the neighborhood before us! Toy was a popular guy!My shins were always bruised. That’s because he’d do abut a 1,000 spins just to go out and chase a squirrel. And it took me about a year to be able to kiss him on his head without getting knocked out. In a way, I was glad he was more active than our previous dog. He got us out, climbing hills, and exploring new neighborhoods for hours.
He became a little more relaxed through the years, and I treasured the way he
put his head on my leg to be stroked and loved. It seemed like I always had my hand on his head and shoulders.
He became a little more relaxed through the years, and I treasured the way he
put his head on my leg to be stroked and loved. It seemed like I always had my hand on his head and shoulders. He was predictably happy and made us laugh. He was enthused to start the day, and would poke his nose on my arm as if to say “Hey, let’s go! It’s anew day!” The kids liked the way I would speak for him and say in a goofy surf-dude voice, “ Uh, my name is Toy, I am a boy, and I’m full of joy!” Again, he’d do 1,000 circles and want to play.
Then one day he stopped in the middle of playing tug-of-war with me to walk away and lie down. Soon he began to look for places to hide. This was very out of character. He started digging, ignoring us, then staring… quietly seizing. It wouldn't be all the time. He would snap back to being our frisky boy. But these things happened more and more frequently. He wasn’t the same. And I knew it. I grieved the inevitable, recognizing this path I had taken so many times before. I knew it was his time to go home. Toy passed on May 13, 2009, after one last walk around the block.
God, we love our pets, and it’s true they make us better souls. They are truly our heavenly messengers. They show us how to experience a rich and unconditional love. We are better for having had such experiences, if only to touch the wings of angels.
I miss Toy. We had him for only 4 years. But everyday was special because of him. For this, I am grateful. And I will always treasure him—forever.
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2 comments:
Ah Cindy beautiful story,I love your ability to FEEL your friends unconditional love and honour his beingness, I am a dog groomer of some 40 years now and I have always been able to work energetically with animals it came naturally to me as a child over the last couple of years this sensitivity has assisted me to tune in to energies that are preparing us for the Great shift of 2012 or at the rate our light is growing we have been told by The Federation of Light(www.blossomgoodchild.com) it could be sooner, there is much excitement in the air. Namaste
Yes, I see a violet aura blanket the earth which is unconditional love, transumatation, and karmic transcendence, so yes,the shift is already here--purifying us and the world.
You do have a special quality, working with dogs, and you feel spirit in all things--nature, water,trees...and have a beautfil sparkling blue aura!
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