Indulge in your guilty pleasures. Toby got the nickname ‘panty
snatcher’ for an obvious reason-he was also going after my underwear. It was pretty embarrassing when people would come over and my thongs would be all over the house, but that was just Toby's thing. {On a side note, we actually had Toby cremated with a pair of my underwear he was always stealing. I know... I seem like the freak now, but he seriously loved those things}. I say if it makes you happy and you're not hurting anyone, have at it!
Don’t be intimidated by things that seem bigger than you.
My Dad cracks up every time he tells this story of Toby- One day we were taking all of the dogs (Toby, Murphy, my Mom's two dogs and my Dad's dog Koda) for a walk. Toby hadn't been around Koda very much, but that didn't stop him from walking right up to her, looking her in the eye, and barking at her. Did I mention Koda is a full grown, pure bred German Shepherd? So there's my tiny Pom barking at this enormous German Shepherd that could have easily eaten him as an appetizer. The point is there are a lot of tasks that seem so much bigger than us and we just cower. If Toby can stand up to Koda, we can do anything.
Protect what you love. Toby drew blood from Shaun a
couple times because he thought Shaun was coming after me (he didn't know hugs
were safe) and even the slightest noise would send Toby into a barking frenzy.
But I always knew it was because he was looking out for us. I said I wouldn't
need a gun or alarm system because I had Toby. Since Toby died I have thought a thousand times about how I could have protected him more or what I could have done to keep him from getting out of the yard. I know it's useless. The important thing is I did protect him while he was still here, and I'm still protecting Murphy and Shaun the best I know how.
Tell people how you feel. Toby had no problem with this
one. When we were living at my dad’s house with our friend, he brought a girl
over. Toby peed on her shoe. While she was wearing it. We never figured out why
he disliked her so much, but she never came back. You knew right away how Toby
felt about you. Too many times we hold back feelings because we don't want to hurt their feelings or it will cause drama. Just do it. There's no reason to not express how you feel/the good and the bad.
The past doesn't define your future. We never got the
full back story on Toby (I got him from a friend of mine, who got him from a
friend of hers, who got him from who knows where) but it seemed pretty clear
something had happened to him before he came to us. He was so nervous and
scared when we first got him and was like that with every new person he met.
Eventually he learned to trust us and love us. He didn't let previous negative
experiences influence his future. He moved on.
Stand up for yourself. Toby hated when you would blow on
his fur. HATED IT! I’ll admit I would do it once in a while just to bug him-but
the last time I did he jumped over a pillow and bit my face. He had every right
to defend himself and I totally deserved it. If someone isn't treating you the way you feel to be treated, tell me. Don't let them walk all over you.
Enjoy life. A day didn't go by that Toby didn't body
check Murphy or chase the horses or sheep through the fence. He just wanted to have
fun. There were some days when all he wanted to do was cuddle with us on the couch. And that was okay too because he was doing what HE wanted and loving every second of it.
Go after what you want and don’t let anything get in your
way. I’ll never know what was so important that Toby had to squeeze through the
gate and run down the road the day he was killed, but knowing Toby it must have
been something important and something he had to do. He was on a mission and
nothing was going to stop him. This is something I struggle with all the time. I set goals in my mind, but then this happens or that happens and I don't end up accomplishing them. Sure, there's a chance it won't end up happening, but if you don't try then you'll never know.
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