Toby’s story begins back in August of 2000, this was the day a funny little puppy came to live in our home.

He was tiny, blue-gray and white colored coat, skinny tail that hurt when it hit you and he had the biggest bat ears we’d ever seen on a puppy. There was one other oddity, his eyes were two different colors, one blue one brown.

Having a new puppy after fifteen years was a real shock. Every morning around 4:30 I found myself outside - this began in October through out the rest of the winter - freezing. But it was worth it as more and more time went by this little fur-baby and I were becoming close buddies.

As he grew Toby became more and more immersed in out lives. He was such an intelligent dog and so affectionate. He began spinning around a year old and continued until he got sick. It was really funny to watch, we never could figure out how he never ran into anything or lost his balance. He was a very happy dog, you could tell this as he smiled all the time.

As with most Shelties, Toby was shy around strangers. It took him a long time to warm up to people, however this was certainly not the case with his family. No matter where you went in the house he had to come along and see what you were doing. The only place he did not go was upstairs, he was afraid of stairs and no amount of coaxing could get him to try.

Toby was involved in everything our family did whether it was celebrating birthdays, holidays or just sitting around watching movies. No matter what was going on he was always a part of it.

As he got older Toby’s coat filled out so much he looked like a giant puff ball. His coloring also deepened and suddenly he became a handsome, handsome boy.

He actually seemed to realize this as he began acting like he was king of all dogs. He had a type  of quality that made you feel like you were in the presence of royalty. This is when I began referring to him as “Sir Toby”, some how it just seemed to fit.

Sadly we were only given seven years with Toby, sometimes life has a way of throwing you a real curve when you least expect it. Losing our beautiful boy was heartbreaking, but we have all tried in the last two years to focus less on the loss and more on the wonderful time we were given with him, even though it was much too short.

We have two new Shelties now - Sebastian & Oliver - they are wonderful friends and have helped fill the void left in our hearts.

But there will always be a space left empty that nothing or no one could ever fill. This is because Sir Toby was a very special friend and could never be replaces.

We know you are healthy and happy now, but always remember we love and miss you still.