Toby’s Happy Tail

Toby came from a rough background as many rescue dogs do. He was living on the streets of Portland, Oregon; skinny, matted, and nearly blind from glaucoma in both eyes. Through an unusual turn of events, Toby made his way to SDRO. After a lot of medical attention and surgery to remove both eyes, he found his new mom, Deborah!

Toby is having all kinds of happy experiences with his new family these days. Deborah has taught him how to navigate a whole new world as a  blind dog.  Toby is a mini Aussie mix, and super smart. Deborah uses word cues to help him 'see' what's happening around him. One of the things that Toby needed help with was recognizing noises outside, and figuring out which ones were safe sounds. He now knows the sound of the mower is the 'gardener' and that clunky old car is 'Bert's' car. 

Toby and Deborah are part of the regular dog park group, too. Toby likes other dogs, but he could become anxious since he is unable to recognize the body cues from other dogs. Deborah has made sure he knows his friends and their people. When Toby and Deborah enter the park, she tells Toby who is there, like ‘Sam and Timber’ and ‘Ryan and Lulu’. When he knows his friends are there, he feels safe and runs off to play with his buddies. There’s a lot of love in Toby’s world these days, and Deborah has a lot of love in hers, too. One of the things Deborah loves is how he looks adoringly at her face when she talks to him even though he can't ‘see’ her, and how he sleeps with his back against hers.

Toby’s story is one that helps remind all of us that time, patience, and love can make magic happen.