Introducing Toby 🐶🐾🦴
Given our year long break from the shop and being active on social media, I wanted to explain one of the reasons why.
First Sighting
In November 2024, I had just returned home from a two week long vacation and driven my boyfriend back home to his place (Sunday). On my way back to my house, I saw a dog sitting in the midst of large bundle weeds on the side of the road. This road is known for car accidents and fatalities. I will never forget the helplessness on his face. It was dark and this is a two-way road and not a lot of safe places too pull of to.
Once I was able to pull over where he was, I had little time to try to secure him before cars would come as it was dark, and posed even more risk for us both. As soon as I tried to approach him with food, he ran absolutely terrified. Thankfully, another local pulled off ahead on the way he ran and proceeded to follow him. We were not able o secure him but he ended up running into a field. The only solace we had was that he at least was away from the road.
The next morning (Monday), I saw a Facebook post in my neighborhood group that a dog had wondered into her parent’s yard and was relaxing and drinking water. It was the same dog I had seen the night before. He was reported to our local shelter and was safe and secured, or so I thought.
Rescue Day
By Tuesday morning, multiple posts had been made about seeing this dog at the entrance of our neighborhood. 
From reports, he was staying in one place and appeared to have a limp. I drove out there and was able to locate him and give him a meal. Later on, my mother and I went to find him again and with the work of patience and treats we were able to get him in our car after only an hour!
We got him settled in a kennel right away in the garage and reported him as found to the local shelter and in local Facebook groups to try to locate his owners. Sadly, we had a hunch none would come forward and they never did. Upon initial inspection of him, we noticed identical punctures on the tips of his ears. To exact to be from a dog fight and still bleeding. He did in fact have a limp, so next stop: the vet and a new name, Toby. 
Upon intake at the vet, it was suspected he was a stray and for a while but not terribly long. He had previous injuries and was about a year old but overall healthy. X-rays were taken as we suspected he may have been hit my car considering where I first spotted him.
Results concluded that at some his leg had been broken and healed incorrectly but was long before we found him. Due to this, he will develop arthritis and may even require surgery. For now, he is walking and running on that leg just fine!
Finding the Owners
At one point we had a lead on a possible owner in our neighborhood. Our source told us that she witnessed this man beat his dog. Due to the safety of us and the dog, we sent a letter to the individual outlining steps that would need to be taken if it was his dog and so on and so forth and to reach out to us. He never did. Unfortunately, I don’t think we will ever know if it truly this person’s dog. Many details of the reports don’t line up and yet, some do.
Rehoming/Adoption
For the next 3 months we gathered donations for Toby’s care. Donations covered his neuter, vaccines, microchip and a pain management plan for his leg. Many people from the community donated toys, a bed, heater for him in the garage and even their time! One helped us build a run for him so he had more space! Without the community’s help we wouldn’t have been able to foster him as just within a month of him being in our care, his expenses were at $1,000!!! I didn’t bother to keep track after that!
During that time, there were many struggles. We had haters on Facebook who accused me of trying to make money off this poor dog, we had little interactions on his adoption posts and only two people were ever interested and they ended up flaking after initial contact. Even after lowering the rehoming fee, still no one was interested.
Toby’s Adoption
At some point, I felt all that had happened was because Toby needed me and was meant to be in my care. In February of 2025 I officially decided to keep Toby. Toby is reactive to cats and people and dogs he doesn’t know (a heeler trait I’m coming to learn). We have had a couple instances but are working and training with him. In the 5 months he has been with us he has blossomed into the happiest dog I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to see the dog he becomes. 
Toby with Della (left) and Molly (middle) on Easter 2025