Tobi 09-523

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Sponsored by: Rick and Pat O.

 

January 10, 2010:  Meet Tobi! Tobi is a sweet senior boy who was rescued on Christmas Eve from a shelter in Sioux Falls, SD.  Because of the horrible weather conditions, he couldn't be transported to his foster home in the Twin Cities metro until New Year's Eve.  Many, many thanks from Tobi and his foster family to John and Sheila, for springing Tobi from the shelter and keeping him safe, and for transporting him part way to his foster home.  You guys totally rock, and Tobi sends kisses!

Tobi has been at his foster home for just over a week and has been settling in.  He has seen the vet and aside from needing to gain some weight is basically a healthy guy.  He has kind of an "offset" snout, he looks like he had a facelift on one side of his face but not the other.  Dr. G hasn't figured out what might have caused this, but he has some weird scarring on his nose so we are thinking maybe he tangled with a porcupine, or something worse, and it caused an infection that affected the nerves on his face.  It makes him look like he is always smirking at you--adds to his rakish charm!  He has some horrible teeth and desperately needs some dental work, he has no enamel at all on his canines (down to just pulp) so they will need to be pulled at an absolute minimum.  He does have cataracts so Dr. G puts his age at closer to 10 years old than the 8 years listed on his paperwork.

Mr. Tobias was a stray, so we don't know much about him.  We're working on teaching him his name, he doesn't have any idea when you are talking to him.  He gets along really well with the resident dogs here, understands dog language really well and figured out pretty quickly to keep a wide berth around the resident snarky female.  After a few days of Sassy growling at him every time he thought about moving, they are getting along well, playing together and running through the snow together.  He and Wyatt wrestle together as well and try to see who can fly through the snow faster, and Tobi usually wins.  He's incredibly graceful when he runs, just floats on top of the snow.  He's not too interested in chewing on things, we think because of his mouth being sore, so it will be interesting to see if he starts to play with toys once his teeth are fixed.

We are crating Tobi when we can't supervise him due to his background.  He was found in a chicken coop with another dog (who escaped) and some dead chickens.  No one knows who did what, but we have a cat and we don't want to take any chances.  We've noticed that Tobi has a strong prey drive when out in the yard, if he sees a squirrel or rabbit he is gone and there is no calling him off of it.  For this reason, at this point we don't believe Tobi should go to a home with cats or small animals.  We're working with him and our cat and he is getting better, but we don't completely trust him.  For this same reason, we are insisting on a secure physical fence in Tobi's forever home.  When he sees something and takes off, he doesn't listen to anything, and if he gets going he is gone and you will not catch up to him unless he decides to come back--might explain how he became a stray in the first place.  He's a wonderful dog who loves people but he will run given the opportunity.

More on Tobias/Tobi/Tobi-wan Kenobi as we get to know him better and get his vetting taken care of.  Sorry for the quality of the pictures, he is really scared of the camera for some reason so we have to take everything outside with a telephoto lens.Hopefully we can get him past this and get some better pictures of him, so you can all see how adorable he is!

 

 

At a Glance #09-523

Golden Retriever Born: December 2001
Male 55 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Sponsored by: Rick and Pat O.

 

January 10, 2010:  Meet Tobi! Tobi is a sweet senior boy who was rescued on Christmas Eve from a shelter in Sioux Falls, SD.  Because of the horrible weather conditions, he couldn't be transported to his foster home in the Twin Cities metro until New Year's Eve.  Many, many thanks from Tobi and his foster family to John and Sheila, for springing Tobi from the shelter and keeping him safe, and for transporting him part way to his foster home.  You guys totally rock, and Tobi sends kisses!

Tobi has been at his foster home for just over a week and has been settling in.  He has seen the vet and aside from needing to gain some weight is basically a healthy guy.  He has kind of an "offset" snout, he looks like he had a facelift on one side of his face but not the other.  Dr. G hasn't figured out what might have caused this, but he has some weird scarring on his nose so we are thinking maybe he tangled with a porcupine, or something worse, and it caused an infection that affected the nerves on his face.  It makes him look like he is always smirking at you--adds to his rakish charm!  He has some horrible teeth and desperately needs some dental work, he has no enamel at all on his canines (down to just pulp) so they will need to be pulled at an absolute minimum.  He does have cataracts so Dr. G puts his age at closer to 10 years old than the 8 years listed on his paperwork.

Mr. Tobias was a stray, so we don't know much about him.  We're working on teaching him his name, he doesn't have any idea when you are talking to him.  He gets along really well with the resident dogs here, understands dog language really well and figured out pretty quickly to keep a wide berth around the resident snarky female.  After a few days of Sassy growling at him every time he thought about moving, they are getting along well, playing together and running through the snow together.  He and Wyatt wrestle together as well and try to see who can fly through the snow faster, and Tobi usually wins.  He's incredibly graceful when he runs, just floats on top of the snow.  He's not too interested in chewing on things, we think because of his mouth being sore, so it will be interesting to see if he starts to play with toys once his teeth are fixed.

We are crating Tobi when we can't supervise him due to his background.  He was found in a chicken coop with another dog (who escaped) and some dead chickens.  No one knows who did what, but we have a cat and we don't want to take any chances.  We've noticed that Tobi has a strong prey drive when out in the yard, if he sees a squirrel or rabbit he is gone and there is no calling him off of it.  For this reason, at this point we don't believe Tobi should go to a home with cats or small animals.  We're working with him and our cat and he is getting better, but we don't completely trust him.  For this same reason, we are insisting on a secure physical fence in Tobi's forever home.  When he sees something and takes off, he doesn't listen to anything, and if he gets going he is gone and you will not catch up to him unless he decides to come back--might explain how he became a stray in the first place.  He's a wonderful dog who loves people but he will run given the opportunity.

More on Tobias/Tobi/Tobi-wan Kenobi as we get to know him better and get his vetting taken care of.  Sorry for the quality of the pictures, he is really scared of the camera for some reason so we have to take everything outside with a telephoto lens.Hopefully we can get him past this and get some better pictures of him, so you can all see how adorable he is!

 

 

Updates

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Well, there must be a reason why Foster Mom has been dragging her feet for ssoooooo long about updating my web page.  She's normally not that slow, she said.  She normally is good about updating her foster dogs, helping them find the perfect home.  What's up with that?

Foster mom has been telling me what a wonderful companion I would make for someone, and she can't believe no one has asked to meet me.  She says that I'm just about the sweetest dog she's ever had around, I just want to be near her.  I've really started to come out of my shell, wrestling with Sassy and Wyatt and even initiating playtime.  I sleep right next to the bed, making sure that she's safe.  When she's working on the computer, I lay at her feet and put my paw on her foot, just touching her.  She's given me some really silly nicknames, she calls me Tobster, or Toaster, or Tobi-wan, or Punkin, sometimes she calls me Cobi.  I come to any of them, because I just love being with her!

Sure, I have a few challenges......I'm very scared of storms, but foster mom has figured out some things to help me feel safe so I'm getting better.  I sometimes get focused on things in the yard, like bunnies or squirrels, and I forget I'm supposed to come when I'm called, and if not for the fence she says I'd run to Duluth.  And I look a little different than most goldens, with my kind of crooked little face, and the ear that's missing the tip from frostbite or something, and my cute little white toes.  I think it all just adds to my charm.

So when foster mom told me that all she wanted for her birthday was ME, I told her I already knew that!  She has decided to stop looking for a "better" home for me, and realized that I've been home since the moment I walked into her life.  I'm so happy that I'm home, that I don't have to worry about being a stray dog anymore, that I'll always have good food and a warm bed and people that love me.  What took you so long to figure it out???  :-)

Tobi's foster mom here.  Yes, it's true, Tobi is adopted and we are foster failures.  This sweet guy just wormed his way into our hearts from day one, and we just can't bear to let him go.  I kept saying that if I could find a better home for him than mine, I'd let him go.  Not a single family has expressed interest in this sweet boy, and they are missing out on a terrific dog.  He'll start obedience school in the next few weeks and continue to go to RAGOM events with his family.  Wyatt and Sassy are so happy to have another playmate, and we have another "sweet" golden in our life.  He's home!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I can't believe it has been a month since Tobi's last update!Sorry to his fans for the delay, we'll try to do better from here on out.

Tobi wants to send a shout out to his wonderful sponsors, Aunt Pat and Uncle Rick O.  He sure enjoyed meeting you and getting a few minutes to snuggle with you, and wants to thank you again for sponsoring him.  Can't wait to see you guys again, soon!

Tobi has had an eventful several weeks.  Thanks to Rick and Pat, Tobi was able to have the tooth extraction that he desperately needed.  We knew both his lower canines were going to have to be pulled, as the enamel was completely worn off and he was down to just pulp.  They had to be very painful.  When they went in to pull those, they found one of his upper canines was starting to abscess so that had to come out as well.  The poor guy is down to just one lonely little canine tooth!  The sockets have been slow to heal so he is still on antibiotics and will need them checked again in a few weeks to make sure there isn't a pocket of infection hiding there.  The scrape on his face that abscessed was also slow to heal so we suspect his teeth are just following suit.  Because he was a stray we think that his system was just run down and it takes more time for him to heal.

Since his teeth came out he has seemed much more comfortable.  He loves to eat snow and even tries to chew on chunks of ice if I don't stop him.  He doesn't pick up the hard Nylabones that are laying around here but he has picked up a few of the soft toys and carried them around.  He is very happy when he finds a stray stick outside and takes great pleasure in chewing it into the smallest pieces he possibly can.  Watching him eat is comical, he is still on soft food and he kind of scoops it up with his tongue, but seems to get the job done.  He's so happy to have those painful teeth gone!

Tobi is really a sweet boy.  He's terrified of the camera so getting any photos involves two people and a telephoto lens.  He's very friendly and has gotten along well with the resident dogs here and a bunch of other RAGOM dogs at a meeting a few weeks ago.  He really likes to be around people but it scares him--he craves the attention but when you go to touch him his tail stops wagging and his head drops.  That seems to be getting better and we'll keep working with him to teach him that people aren't going to hurt him.  Certain sounds also scare him, when his foster brother squeaks some of his squeaky toys he heads for the bedroom to hide and we have no idea why.  The mystery of Tobi continues.......

When Tobi is really happy or excited, he has the cutest little "trick" he does.  He can stick his ears nearly straight out from his head, we call it "Happy Ear".  He doesn't always wag his tail but when I get home from work or he is running outside in the yard, you can tell he's happy by his ears.Check out the photos of Tobi's Happy Ear!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Tobi has had a pretty good week in his foster home.He is continuing to settle in and feel more comfortable in his new digs and as he does, his personality is continuing to emerge.  He is a super sweet guy, just wants to hang out with his people close by and every once in awhile come over and touch you.  If he is laying on the floor by your feet, he is happiest if he can put his head on your foot.  We finally coaxed him up on the couch a few days ago, the resident dogs can be on any furniture but Tobi wouldn't come up without being coaxed.  He will lay next to you for hours with his head in your lap and if you leave the room, he's right behind you.  He's just a doll.

Tobi is thrilled to say "thank you, thank you, thank you, WOOF WOOF WOOF!!" to his Uncle Rick and Aunt Pat O, who generously have sponsored our sweet boy!  Their sponsorship will help pay for Tobi's desperately needed dental care, and we can't thank them enough for their kindness.  We will bring Tobi over soon to play with Bree and Eddie Bear, and Crabby Abby can growl at him and make him feel right at home.  You will fall for our sweet boy, just like we have.  Thank you so much!

We're trying to schedule Tobi's dental work for this coming week, and we'll send an update when that is all done.  Hopefully we'll be able to get some answers on his offset snout and figure out what happened to Tobi.In the meantime, Tobi sends kisses and says to stay warm!