An Ode to Toby, a handsome yellow Lab
I barely knew Toby. I do have a living, breathing, crapping, eating, loving, snuggly reminder of him though at my place. It's his spoiled and gorgeous daughter - my Poppy. So Toby is Poppy's birth lab dad. He was a pure-bred, handsome, yellow lab of 6 when we first met him. He was big, but not overwhelmingly so and extremely loving when he first saw us. He just flopped down beside us and rolled over in front of Rhonda, the breeder, for a belly rub - instantly takign Vikram's heart away. The next time we saw him was when we had gone to board Poppy at Rhonda's for July 4th weekend (in 2006). He was crated to minimize the mayhem of dogs greeting their long-lost kin. But Poppy ran towards his crate the minute she shook herself free of her over-enthusiastic mom and sisters, and tried licking him through the crate bars. They both whined to each other and wanted despreately to meet. It was such a warming sight. And that ended my acquaintance with the dog that fathered my pet.