This little guy is a sweetheart. He is easy going, playful, loving and gets along well with children and other pets. He is a small dog and doesn't take up much room on your lap or your bed. He is clean and quiet in the home, would be fine in an apartment and just wants to be loved. Toby is a young adult dog approximately a year old and weighs 13 lbs.
Here is what his foster family had to say:
Toby has the best of all qualities wrapped up into one fun-sized pup! His personality and looks are those of an exuberant and playful cartoon dog, happily bouncing around to play with a stuffed toy or ignoring those ridged "personal space" boundaries by crawling up and flopping down on your lap for a belly rub. He has the funniest and biggest personality (don't tell him he's a little guy, he won't believe you) and makes every morning waking up to him a happy one.
Toby doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He is friendly with children, plays and lays with my in-law's pre-teens and gently licks my 6 mnth old nephews feet whenever he's around. If anything he's a bit shy (yet inquisitive) when it comes to people of any age wanting to pet him while out on walks (and we get stopped at every turn with enquiries about his adorable looks). He seems to be much more immediately comfortable with females and, though he warms up to males in no time, we think he would prefer a female taking the lead at first until he gets comfortable with the rest of the family. He would also be a great fit for a single female who is a new dog owner as he is amazingly easy in the home, loves to be cuddled and is a great and gentle walker when in a quiet neighbourhood. Though he has a very gentle nature, he loves to wrestle, play tug of war and "chase the hand monster under the sheet". He is very smart and obedient, doesn't need to be crated or trained/taught house rules with a heavy hand as is perfectly behaved other than his attempts at escape artistry due to fear when outside in a busy area.
Toby likes to play with dogs of all sizes and would LOVE a playful and friendly companion either in his home or as a visitor. We also believe he would be fine with a cat in the home because of his docile nature and lack of apparent prey drive, and though we don't have a cat, the neighbours cats frequent our kitchen and bathroom windows and he simply continues whatever he's up to when he notices them. Toby seems to tailor his energy level to yours. If you're having a lazy day, he's right there beside you on the couch with an antler or kong, but if you feel like burning off steam with a jog through a grassy field or tossing the ball around, he's in heaven! He also plays in the the most youtube-worthy way by tossing the kong/ball up into the air and catching it as though he's surprised someone tossed it to him. Toby's favourite hobbies include becoming a floppy-flopperson when you give the slightest inkling of pets or scratches, (he get's so floppy and paralyzed at the same time that he will slip right off the bed/couch and not even bat an eye), he enjoys sleeping in his "flat on his back, arms stretched to the sky" default position and absolutely loves a good run or walk in a park and the feeling of fresh grass under his feet..which brings me to a requirement for Toby. He is very afraid of our busy, loud, traffic filled street/neighbourhood. We constantly have streetcars and traffic outside our door, and when out on a walk as we're hightailing it to a quiet backstreet, he would rather be anywhere else but there. Though he has improved and is much less afraid of the city than when he came to us, he would love a quiet neighbourhood so his transition to your house is easy and fearless. We didn't realize his full happy and boisterous personality until we took him to our quiet family cottage. When out of the city, outside he becomes out-going, walks with confidence and is fully in his element when running through open fields in the local parks and farms. He even loves swimming in the lake and boating! He wouldn't necessarily need such a remote area, but a quite suburb would be ideal. We would absolutely be keeping him if it wasn't in his best interest to get him to a quiet area.
He sheds very little but likes the attention of a brush (we use a rubber one meant for puppies as he has fine fur and is still a young guy at 1 1/2). He is very quiet in and out of the home and only joins in the bark-fest for one to two harmonized notes when our other dog is going off on a barking spree. He is such a perfect dog in the house, he is house trained, doesn't steal food or "coffee table surf" (counter surfing isn't an option when you're 12 inches tall) and only chews and plays with his toys. He is still learning his basic commands, but intuitively does what you want him to do by the tone in your voice or body language, like calling his name or patting the ground if you want him to come. He is sometimes left alone with our other dog for a full 8 hour work day and they wait patiently for our return and nightly cuddle-fest. He is a slender boy with a neck and body the same general width, so a harness is necessary when out for walks so he doesn't try to reverse out of a collar if something startles him.
Toby is a fantastic dog that requires a quiet neighbourhood so he can explore, bounce and sniff around while meeting other dog friends without being startled or scared by the harsh and abrupt noises of Toronto. He (like any dog) would love a backyard but doesn't require one if he gets out for a couple walks a day and a play session or two. He would do amazingly well in a non-hectic but active household and one with respectful children or basically any home with a family of one or 10 that is willing to nurture his gentle moments and foster his outgoing and playful ones.
If you think Toby would be a good fit for your family, please submit an application for consideration.
