Although it has been almost a year since he passed away I still miss him terribly. He was so much more than a dog and a pet, he was my buddy.

It broke my heart to have him put to sleep but I had no choice. He was old, his hearing was gone for a couple of years, and his eyesight was rapidly deteriorating. He had arthritis and he was hurting all the time.

In the fall of 2002 I got a call from the manager at the Humane Society.  She knew that I was looking for a small dog. She guessed he could be 4-5 years old and he was a mix of who knows what.

I picked him up that night. Toby jumped in my lap right away and it was clear we would get along just fine. He was quiet, well behaved and wanted all the love and attention he could get.

I hoped that he would be comfortable in the truck. I knew he liked riding, like almost all dogs do, but how would he adapt to living in such a confined space. He did very well from the start and I never had any problems with him.

I thought he would like to ride in the passenger seat so he could see out but he didn't want that. His favorite spot was on a blanket right behind my seat. He wouldn’t come off it as long as we were moving, he could just sit there for 8 hours without moving a muscle.

We both needed our exercise so in all the places we stopped I gave him plenty of time to walk, run, smell and mark the spots. When I went to sleep he curled up next to me and wouldn't move until it was time for me to get up.

He was a tough little kid, although coming from Arizona snow and ice didn't bother him at all and he enjoyed his walks any time in any place, no matter what the weather was like. Other dogs, no matter how big they were, didn’t intimidate him; he usually just tried to ignore them.

I knew that I couldn't keep him forever and I promised myself that I wouldn't let him suffer. Then came the moment that I had to let him go, it was the right thing to do. I am very grateful for the time we were able to spent together, he was such an exceptional friend.