Friday August 27, 1993 Mom says lets stop by the Humane Society and we will just look at the dogs they have, but we won't get one; surrrrre! I know we don't need a dog, but I want the leash off of me!! Two scruffy dogs in cages side by side, Toby cute as a bug, but scared and unfriendly. Sparky, on the right, scared, skinny, ugly (hair cut but not groomed) but friendly. We took Toby outside and he was still frightened stiff, we paid our $15 dollars and now we own Toby, he will get fixed and we can pick him up next Tuesday the 31st. We are more excited than a couple of grownups should, we buy food dishes etc.

Tuesday, August 31,1993 11:00 am We pick up Toby, stop at a hardware store, mom stays in the car with toby I take his collar off to make him more comfortable. 11:30 we are home Mom opens the car door, before I close the garage door. Toby is out of there and up the street so quick, but I thought I could keep up with him on my bicycle. After several laps around the park Toby is headed up to  Shady Cove down the middle of the highway. I caught up and got him off the road but he now headed down to the river. When I get to the river he is swimming 50 yards down the river and I conclude, SHUCKS!! I pedal my bike back to the park, see Mom in front of the  house and order a coke to go and head down to the river.  I am dying of  thirst, and getting very hungry, and of course quite disappointed.

At the river I look upstream  and down stream and guess that Toby  is  not a swimmer of Olympic  calibre and swam down stream to where I was. I guessed right, about 10 yards and in water up to my belly, I see a wet rock where he came out of the river. I see him in the thicket and call him by his name Toby, he proceeds to move deeper into that blackberry thicket. I spot a (like new) Avon hair brush on the ground, of course I pick it up because if I ever get a dog I will need one, hey I've earned it. Again I say SHUCKS and proceed to have lunch and why not, blackberries.  At about 1:00 I conclude he might not come out to me so I go back where I had entered the river but no-coke awaits ie. Mom is not there, she gave up and left. At  home after some legitimate lunch and drink I can imagine the terrible fate awaiting Toby. 

Later I pedal my bicycle to the other side of the thicket, no sign of Toby, then back to the river I follow a deer trail to where I had spotted Toby last, at the blackberry thicket, and again I see no sign of Toby. At dusk I'm out searching for him and spotted him up  towards  Shady Cove. I called "Toby" he spotted me on  the bicycle and disappears in a flash.  At this  point I sensed that either me or a bike or the name "Toby" or my voice scares the hell out of him.

Wednesday Sept. 1, 1993 Numerous calls by people in the park with Toby sightings, but the best bet to see him yourself was to stand still for he would come by  soon. Several offers by people ho claimed having that special knack of catching dogs were accepted.  Thanks agan for your concern and effort, but Toby is smarter, sneakier, quicker and even cuter than these people. Thanks  again  for the food and water that had been left out  for Toby, I believe he put on some weight these last couple of days. Thrusday Sept. 2, 1993 Same old stuff, Toby shows up, Toby dissappears. Toby leaves many other  good  hearted  souls dissappointed.  Toby  is  starting  to believe number 19, our house is his home since we always have left food out and others have stopped to help us with the capture of this wild critter. 

Earlier  this day we had picked up an animal trap back at the Humane Society.  The first bait I set out dissappeared.I  might not  have  had the trap trigger set sensitive enough,  Did Toby  get  it? Friday Sept. 3, 1993 same  old stuff  but Toby is now seriouse about finding food at our house and that is good for us.  Toby is doomed. I now know how to set the trap and we caught something!!!!! It was dark already, it was black and white and mad as hell. I was afraid it was a skunk, but it was only a cat who is probably still mad as hell. Saturday Sept. 4, 1993, now I am an expert on traps.  Toby set it off but the door hit him on the butt, didn't latch and Toby got away.  From this point on Toby just walked around the trap and I think he chortled  because he was not going to do that agan no matter what  the  bait. 

At todays  picnic  at  the river it occurred to us that I do  have  a large enough trap for Toby, the garage, with a remote door opener. Sunday Sept. 5,1993 Its evening now and we have't seen Toby since early morning Mom is  sitting on the front porch and as luck would have  it,  Molly the  good  looking lady Cocker Spaniel is being walked past  our front  porch and Toby is right beside her.  I walk out the  front door and Toby is on the run again and I tell Mom Toby don't seem to  like me does he. 

Latter Toby returned for food while we sat on  the porch. I now am putting the food further into the garage each  time but he is very wary of entering it. Given enough time, I will fool him.  We've been up since 5 in the morning when he shows up and give up on him at 11 at night when he dissappears. Boy, these have been long days, this whole week has been a bummer. Monday Sept. 6, 1993; it's Labor Day, so what, we can't rest we've got to catch a wild dog. I saw him for a moment this morning but it is evenings when he spends some time around here. Now it is evening, he is hanging around, he  is in the garage, the door is really not  set  low enough but we will try hitting the close button. The door starts down, Toby starts out, We last saw Toby running out the driveway looking over his shoulder wondering "Who did that"? Mom and I were sitting  around  the  corner on the  front  porch.  We  are  also starting  to  think  that it may take another dog to trap  this onery pooch. Tuesday Sept. 7, 1993 We drive back to the Society, turn in the trap and What the hell, can we borrow a dog? Now as luck would have it, guess who is still sitting  in cage number 4.  Yep;  it's that not so  good  looking Sparky.  Mom and I swallowed our pride and we borrowed Sparkey, yuck!!! But on the way home we thought that "hey" this dog is better than no dog. 

Back at the park we  walked Sparky around the park in the after noon and only got a few chortles.It is now 9:00 PM, Mom and I are ready, we've been on the  front porch for a while, but no Toby. I'm worried that the garage door might have turned him off of that nice house on lot 19. We decide its time to take a walk around the park with Sparky. Every body else is in bed, so no more chortles. Now as we walk past the mailboxes,  guess  who cames running out of the bushes, no it wasn't Santa.  They were a couple of happy puppies.  Now Mom walks back home with Sparky and went up the steps and into the house.  Toby followed into the doorway and agonized and made many circles, he entered the house and then out several times.  Of course I sneek up and slammed the door on the delinquent pooch.

Wed/thurs Sept. 8-9, 1993 Happy days for both puppies.  Toby is 2 years old and Sparky is 1 year old. They  were  brought to the  Humane Society  together  and apparently grew up together. They both got a bath and got groomed with guess what? That Avon brush that Toby had found for me came in mighty handy. So now the chortles are fewer as we walk them around the park, at least we think so. On Thursday we drive them both to the vet to get their shots but we have to drop Sparky off  at the Society.  First we have to pay for Sparky, remember we only borrowed  him. We will have to leave him so that he can get regressed to the equal of Toby, ie. neutered. Friday Sept. 10, 1993 We are waiting until 10:00 AM tomorrow to pick up Sparky. Toby is doing fine (on a leash) and is a little sad but I think he knows Sparky will be home again soon and the three of us will have many adventures.

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