Wednesday, November 19, 2008

In Memory of Toby

In the Spring of 2000 Lance and I bought our first house. And then of course we started searching for a pet. But, not just any pet....a Basset Hound. Lance had always wanted a Basset Hound. So the search began. I found a lady in Arkansas that had 3 Basset Hounds. Sadie would be giving birth to puppies sometime in October. We were put on a list for a puppy. On October 13th Sadie gave birth. This is the picture the owner sent to us. Toby is the puppy on the far left.




We made the trip from Memphis to Arkansas to see which puppy we would chose. We wanted a male Basset Hound. And Lance really loved the tri-colored Basset Hounds. So if you look at the picture that narrows down the choices pretty much. So we chose Toby. We named Toby for the Basset Hound in the Disney movie "The Great Mouse Detectives". A few weeks later this is a picture that the owner sent me. We were in love.



So 6 weeks after Toby was born we made another trip to Arkansas to pick him up. The weather was horrible. It stormed the entire trip. The traffic was backed up almost our entire trip home. But, we finally made it back home. Below is a picture of Toby's first night with us.



Of course Toby didn't want to sleep in his crate. We persisted until he was potty trained. Then as all puppies do Toby would sleep and then want to play. But, of course he wanted to play at 5:00 in the morning. So I started letting Toby sleep with me after he woke up at 5:00.



At 2 1/2 years old Toby was joined by a sister.



Toby is a part of all of our memories.










Then in 2006 Toby was joined by a second sister. I really don't think he was all that impressed.





Then we moved Toby and the girls to Florida. Here are some pictures of Toby at his new home.











At the beginning of November Toby couldn't raise his head. So off to vet he went. Then he went to see a specialist. Toby was diagnosed with Degenerative Disk Disease and Degenerative Joint Disease. Toby took medication which seemed to make him better. Then one morning he coudn't eat his food because of the pain. Lance took Toby to Dr. Andy. And he helped Toby make his journey to the bridge. Now he is living a pain free existence.

Rest in Peace our Sweet Cranky Boy
October 13, 2000 to November 17, 2008

You will be missed...............

A special Thanks to all my friends who are helping me through this difficult time.

10 comments:

MrsRhododendronson said...

I have many fond memories of Toby, even though we never met. I will always think of him sitting patiently, with a bit of a scowl on his face, for many Christmas and LSU football pictures.
I'm pretty sure Tessa -- another cantankerous basset -- is hanging out with Toby right now.
Rest in peace, Toby, and big hugs to Candy, Isabella, Sofia and Lance at this difficult time.
Love, Emily

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful tribute to a lovely Basset boy! He truly was special!
My heart goes out to you Candy, and your family!

Rest in Peace Toby

Anonymous said...

Candy, This is a very lovely and fitting tribute to Toby, a beautiful and special hound. Although I never met Toby, I did meet his wonderful Mom ( you ) and his two sweet and adorable sisters. I know what a special family that you all are and my heart is heavy with sadness for all of you. I know that Toby will be watching his family from above and will always be with you in spirit.
( I must mention that Toby passed on the same day as my dear father back in 1962 )
My love and my sympathy to all of the family,
Linda Nolan

Anonymous said...

This is a very sweet tribute to Mr. Toby. It made me smile the entire time. I have so many memories of Toby and especially of the Rescue work he enjoyed attending. He will be missed and you all will be in our prayers.

Unknown said...

I was just asking mom about Toby the day before the news.. I was so sad.. and this little memory thing you put up of Toby made me cry... I only saw him a few times and found him to be a very special boy and he will be missed...

Unknown said...

Candy....what a wonderful tribute to a special, special boy. I was smiling and crying at the same time as I read all this. Thank you for sharing your life with such a great guy.

Anonymous said...

Toby was my Basset's first Basset boyfriend. She (Mukki) loved him! It has been more than two years since Mukki last saw Toby - yet, she still howls when I say his name. He will always be remembered by my family and especially by my dog.

Anonymous said...

Oh Candy, what a heartwarming, and heartbreaking, tribute. I'm so glad I got to met the Tobster, and honestly, we've been basset buds not long after the beginning of Toby and my Jackson's life.
Jackson proudly wears his LSU scarf today in honor of Toby. He will be missed, and he was truly a loved dog.
Love,
Jennifer, Jackson and Cricket

Anonymous said...

Candy, what a beautiful tribute. He sure was a lucky boy to have been picked by you and Lance!

Toby is flying free at the Bridge and looking down on his family, I know it. Here's hoping that happy memories will bring you all some comfort.

Amy said...

Okay I just cried all over my keyboard. What a sweetie! Sorry for your loss, I know how hard losing a pet can be.