Happy Tails
Toby- a true beagle
By Stefanie J.
It had only been six weeks since Snoopy, Sue’s 16-year-old beagle, died. Snoopy was not only a family member who her kids had grown up with but also the neighborhood mascot. Sue wasn’t looking for a new dog yet but she saw Toby on the Pet Haven website and decided to contact the foster. There was just something intriguing about him. Then Sue and her son went to the pet adoption and they liked him immediately.
Toby is a two-year-old purebred beagle and has been with Sue and her family since September 2007. One of the first things Toby did when Sue got him was to crawl into her lap and fall asleep with his head on her shoulder. He was anxious to be loved maybe partially because he spent a year in various foster homes before finding his forever home.
“He is a very playful dog,” Sue says. “His personality is entirely different than Snoopy’s was which makes it easier to love him for who he is.” She also says he is a “good companion” and a “best friend” and has “filled the empty space in her heart” since Snoopy died and also since her kids have grown up and left home.
Playful, loveable, friendly, stubborn, naughty--all descriptors of the beagle breed. Being a true beagle, Toby has created some memorable moments. “He is very smart,” Sue says. “We’ve had three different types of gates in the house and he’s figured out how to open them all.”
Prior to the adoption, Toby’s foster mom had told Sue that Toby “danced on her dining room table the other day.” Sue found out what that felt like. Christmas Day 2008 was her mom’s 90th birthday and a party was planned. Sue had gotten “the prettiest cake you’ve ever seen in your life” for the occasion. On Christmas Eve, Sue and her family decided to go to midnight mass. The cake was in a room secured from Toby by a gate. Sue had thought about shutting the door to that room but didn’t think it was necessary. When they arrived home, they found that Toby had pushed a chair over to the gate and then jumped over it. He ate half of the cake! Luckily, Grandma loves him - she thought it was hilarious.
There’s also the time on Halloween that he ate about thirty-five candy bars and the very next morning, he ate a piece of quiche off Sue’s brunch guest’s plate. But everyone enjoys Toby so much that they can’t get mad at him. Maybe it’s the way he likes to jump up on people’s laps and then give them a kiss on the lips. He’s irresistible.
Toby also has a tender side. Sue’s son Sean was living at home for a while as he waited for his military orders. Sean had spent time with Toby, taken him to the cabin and bonded with him. The day Sean moved out to go to the military, Toby somehow understood what was going on. He kept sitting on Sean’s belongings as he got ready and once Sean left, Toby cried all day.
Life with Toby is good. Sue’s family made a few adjustments such as buying a garbage can that they call “Fort Knox.” Any changes have been worth it though because he gives back in his own way. One way is when he goes for car rides; he likes to stand on the console so he can see and also put his head on Sue’s shoulder.
Toby has a few idiosyncrasies such as a fear of ceiling fans – even when they are not on. He is also afraid of water and won’t even put a paw in the lake at the cabin. But he also loves to play fetch, likes to hide bones and has a favorite spot in the family room where he perches on a leather chair and surveys the backyard.
Like most beagles, Toby is good natured and has no mean streak, Sue says. He’s also a bit stubborn and if he wants to play, they get no rest until they give in to him. And if its dinner time, he doesn’t want to wait - he picks up his dog dish and slams it into the wall to say “feed me” while he wags his tail.
Also like most beagles he is so sweet “I can’t not love him” Sue says.