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Name: Toby
Age: ~1yr. Possibly younger.
Breed: Pit Bull Terrier x Labrador Retriever
Toby Age: ~1yr. Possibly younger. Breed: Pit Bull Terrier x Labrador Retriever Sterilized: No, but he will be. Either way, he’s still a big softie. (And he pees like a girl.) No worries about any indoor territory marking. Housebroken: Yes, thank goodness. Can live with kids: He happily lets them pet him on walks, but otherwise ignores them. I haven’t gotten the chance (i.e. no little kiddies around to serve as test subjects) to observe his extended interactions with them, but I have to caution that he does jump and nip, occasionally.
Can live with cats: Yes. And, clearly, Leo (my lazy, but sometimes psychotic, 9lb cat) is the undisputed boss. Can live with dogs: Yes. He’s super duper friendly with all other dogs, even the little guys. (Though, to Toby’s great dismay, they might not like the big bumbling puppy quite as much.) Personality traits: Toby’s a big (or sort of medium-ish), affectionate, energetic and playful pup. He’s got tons of energy, so a family that has the time to give him a good work out every day would be ideal. We’re up on Mt. Royal all the time and he has a blast frolicking around seeing the sights, smelling the smell, and scaring the small woodland creatures. A tired dog is a happy dog, as we dog-owners all know. And his long floppy ears stand up straight on his head when we’re “out in the wild” and he’s feeling all perky and alert. It’s the funniest thing. Sometimes Toby thinks he’s a lapdog – all ~60lbs of him.
He loves giving kisses and sleeping on the bed with you, smooshed up comfortably against your side like a furry furnace. He’s definitely a super cuddle-bug; he’ll often put his head on your lap or whatever piece of furniture he wants to go on and give you major puppy eyes till you acquiesce. If you don’t, he’ll flop on the floor or mope off somewhere droopily. But he’ll come back sooner or later since he likes being where the people are. He does the same thing when he wants to play. He’ll bring his toys to you and nudge you with them in an attempt to get you to play tug-of-war (his favorite game). Oh, and he’s all for road trips. No drooling or motion-sickness. He scarfs down every meal (like it’s his last) with gusto. I swear he has some sort of endless pit or black hole hidden somewhere inside his stomach. It must be the Lab influence (or possibly a remnant of his time as a stray). So one must be alert to roadside munching on undesirables (e.g. apple cores, bread crusts, etc.). That sneaky pup. But, otherwise, he’s fairly well behaved on a leash. He does gets a bit excited when he sees a potential four-legged play pal, but he’s easily manageable. He also has the tendency to go greet two-leggers, tail a-wagging, if he catches looking at him with a smile (or looking at something near him with a smile, that silly dog). Overall, he’s not very vocal. He whines if he has business to do outside and he barks to alert you that someone’s at the door, but only at home. And he stops immediately when he sees who it is. So a condo or an apartment (provided that he gets his exercise, of course) is completely doable.
Also, having had a Shepherd/Retriever mix and having recently fostered a Husky something-or-other and, thus, having accepted that giant, spontaneously appearing tumbleweeds of fur are a fact of life, Toby’s short coat is a constant source of amazement for me. He’s super low maintenance. I can’t express how awesome that is. Seriously, even my cat sheds more than he does. Anywho, despite his silly antics and goofy looks, Toby’s a pretty smart pup. From zero knowledge upon arrival, he mastered the commands sit, stay, come, up, down, and paw within a week. And just for fun I also taught him crawl (it took about an hour or so), which is just about the cutest thing ever. Which one? is another cute one… though I’ve yet to figure out if he actually knows the point of it. He can also jump like you wouldn’t believe. He’s got springs under his feet or some unknown green amphibious ancestor. So, that’s Toby for you. I think I’ll end this here before it becomes too epic, if it hasn’t already.
To meet Toby or for more information, please contact Vivian at vlau09@gmail.com. I check my email everyday. Or call me at 514-927-6528 after 5pm on weekdays or any time on weekends. We hope to see you soon! 🙂
