I was doing foster care for Miniature Schnauzer Rescue when a call came one evening about 6 p.m. asking me if I could take in a Schnoodle in an emergency. Elmer and I live in Cornelius, between Hillsboro and Forest Grove, and this call was on behalf of an owner in Hillsboro, close by. By 7:00 p.m., they were at our house with Toby. Toby had belonged to this woman's ex-husband for 10+ years (she didn't know Toby's exact age) but her ex-husband had lost his job and was soon to lose his home, so one evening he dumped Toby into his ex-wife's back yard. She was living with her elderly and ailing mother who refused to have pets in the house, and it was pouring rain outside. It was the fall of 2004. Besides that, Toby, who was used to being in the house, would bark constantly to get in and also had a habit of commencing barking at 4:00 a.m., much to the neighbors' distress. So, his owner had to give him up.

Poor little Toby! For two days, he waited by the door for his owners to come back for him. We put his food and a bed by the door so he could stay there, and we talked to him and petted him off and on. After two days he turned all his attention to Elmer and decided that Elmer was his "person." He followed Elmer everywhere, and the love affair was mutual. That's when we decided that we must adopt Toby.

We got a "senior exam" from our vet and were told his health was quite sound considering his age. Another interesting point is that Toby had never been to a vet in his life except to get legally required rabies vaccine. He had had no other vaccinations or care in his life. Imagine our dismay when we learned after 4 months that in fact his bladder was positively stuffed with stones and he had an infection! He had to have surgery right away. The diet our vet prescribed to follow seemed very debilitating for him, while at the same time he was gaining lots of weight from it. In frustration, we changed vets, going to Murrayhill Veterinary Clinic in Beaverton. There we learned Toby also has allergies, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and, of course, the bladder stones and bladder infections recurring. Toby's second surgery for stones, at Murrayhill, was done with laser and his recovery was at least twice as fast as from his first surgery. [I would highly recommend laser procedures in vet care any time they are available.]

While Toby was in surgery, I was thinking about how he hates the Elizabethan Collar he has to wear, so I made him one from fabric that I thought would be much more comfortable for him, and indeed it worked well and didn't bother him at all. Our new vet, Dr. Goodman, was impressed with the collar and suggested I should make them to sell. I gave it some thought and now I am busy making and marketing Dog Ruffles. You can see the dog ruffles at petruffle.wordpress.com. Toby is modeling the Ruffle.

I cook for Toby now, as Dr. Goodman says with his combination of health problems, that is what will work best. I make a wet dog food from cooked carrots and turnips, canned pumpkin, cooked oat bran, apple juice and garlic for flavor, and canned pink salmon (bones, skin and all), which Toby and my two Cockapoos just love. This is low fat/low calorie, low allergy, and low oxylate content (bladder stones). I also cook turkey broth to help keep him hydrated. It's a pleasure to cook for such an eager eater!

Of course having Toby has been quite expensive for us but it has been so very worth it. He is such a totally lovable little character, giving us far more than we have given him. We know he is on "borrowed time", but as long as he continues to enjoy life as he so clearly is, we will get him all the care he needs.

Rosalie