Toby-z-website was Inspired by our dog Toby 

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Toby's Adventures

 many places called home

First we lived in Arizona where we had a pool, and these guys tried to get me used to it, but I didn't like it.  Although it was refreshingly cool, it was frightening.  Although they were there for me, it was a horrible experience.  They built a walkway around the top of it, since it was an above ground pool, but they also made it so that I could walk around under it for exercise and it was cool.  I even watched them feed and water ground squirrels and rabbits twice a day. 

www.arizonaguide.com

Then we moved to Arkansas and lived at an RV park on a river, where I got use to wading in the shallow areas. But the woods had ticks, not a very nice bug. Another bug that was cool to see were lightning bugs. It got noizy at night with all the other bugs that were singing, I think that was what they were doing. There were lots of trees, really big trees, you didn't have to look far to find shade. Plus the sky was full of stars. In the Winter it would snow, but the cool thing were the water falls we saw.  

www.hotsprings.org

Then we moved to Texas. First a little town where we just had a small park to go to if we wanted to go hiking. Then one a little bigger where we not only had a bigger park but a town square. Last, we moved to the big city where there were parks and trails all over town, plus we were close enough that we went to other cool towns and saw lots of cool stuff.

www.traveltex.com

Then we moved back to Arizona. Living in this part of the state allows us to do a lot of exploring. There are many places to hike up in the mountains and down in the valleys. The Colorado River is near by along with Lake Mohave for enjoying water sports. We have seen wild burrows, bighorn sheep, coyotes, lizards, torantulas, both cottontails and jackrabbits. The area is covered with rocks of kinds and colors making it very popular to rock hounds. Then we have beautiful desert vegitation, from flowering groundcovers to a variety of brush . You can imagine how hard it must have been to live here in the early days when gold was discovered. This area has a ton of mines scattered from one mountain range to the other. Some are just abandoned tunnels others became towns that are now ghost towns. We have road ATVs down historic trails to former homesteads, gas stations and even a hotel. You can see why we love it here.        

Travel and sightsee with your pooch! Find dog-friendly lodging, attractions, parks, beaches and outdoor restaurants that allow dogs of ALL sizes:

www.dogfriendly.com

Once we were settled in we started traveling. It was like moving but we would always come back here to Arizona. So we call these Toby's Adventures. 

Road Trips

On the road, that is where we are most of the time, I love it, new smells, new sites and new friends, plus if I want I get to sit up front, they call it "Shot Gun"! Then we come back home and crash, we have a good time seeing all kinds of places, some historic, some just abandoned and others unique. We plan our trips but it does not keep us from stopping and checking something out that we pass along the way. When you travel as much as we do you need to keep up with gas prices and make sure your pet has what they need for the trip: 

www.fuelgaugereport.aaa.com 

Animal Planet Ultra-Soft Pet Bed, Small, Brown

Bergan Pet Travel Bowl (Colors Vary, Red or Black)

Harness Dog Car Safety Seat Belt system Sm/Med 12-28

Laughlin, Nevada

Laughlin is on the Colorado River making it a great place for enjoying water sports dinner cruises, jetskis or just stroll along the riverwalk which gives you acces to many of the casinos in town, each with plenty to do. Climb aboard the train for a little tour, visit the free auto museum, see a movie, go bowling or shop at the mall. Want to be adventurous go horseback riding, off roading or explore the area historic mining districts. See ghost towns like Oatman, Chloride or visit the Grand Canyon on Native American lands. They also have lots of great events like car shows and off road races. This is the perfect place for a Winter vacation.

www.visitlaughlin.com 

Ventura, California

It is right on the ocean, never saw so much water in one place, but don't drink it. Over all I think that this beautiful city on the Pacific is a very Dog Friendly City. You have to go out on the Ventura Pier, yes you can take your four legged friend with you. While out there you can catch a bite to eat at the Eric Ericsson's on the Pier resturant and watch all the people riding the waves. We also checked out the beach at Surfer's Point. Dogs are allowed north of the Pier. It was a lot of fun running up and down the beach, got to meet lots of new friends. Try to plan your trip there when they are having the Pooch Parade Dog Walk & Pet Expo. This very fun event benefits Project Second Chance Adoption Program:

 www.poochparade.org 

Yosemite National Park 

They call this place a National Park, not very pet friendly but I did get to do some running around, on a leash of course. It is a huge park set aside for us back in 1890. It has lots of waterfalls, meadows and forests, including a grove of giant sequias, the largest living things on Earth. Us dogs are allowed on paved trails & roads. That means we can go on the Meadow Loop Trail, the Four Mile fire roads in Wawona on the Carlson Rd & the Old Big Oak Flat Rd between Hodgdon Meadow & Hazel Green Creek. We are not allowed in public bldgs. backcountry, beaches or meadows for our safety as well as the wildlife in the area. Most campgrounds in the park allow for pets but be sure to check ahead of time. If you want you can give your four legged friend a break and let them stay at the Yosemite Valley Stable. At the time we went it was just $9.50 a day. You can be more adventurous without worrying about the little guy. But if you do take your dog along be sure to go to Mirror Lake Meadow but stay on the paved trail. The Lower Yosemite Fall is a short easy walk with spectacular views of the Upper & Lower Falls. Cooks Meadow Loop at the Visitor Center is another short easy walk that has stunning views of Half Dome, Glacier Point and Royal Arches. So just remember you can bring your dog if you want, just keep in mind where you can take them and maybe we will see you there.

  www.nps.gov/yose

 Tucson, Arizona 

Was another place, it is in the southern part of Arizona, even though it was hot we found plenty of cool places to walk. They have a lot of trails, paved and gravel all over town. These are the ones we went on: the Rillito River walk and the Santa Cruz River Walk. One of the coolest places we saw was a place called "Trail Dust Town" you might even catch a gun fight, just for fun that is. There are places to shop & eat or you can just sit at the gazebo and people watch. If you want something more high tech and your willing to give your dog a break from running around with you, check out the Biosphere 2, it is an interesting thing to see even though the experiment of humans living in it is considered by many to been a failure. Now if you like movie sets you got to see "Old Tucson". You will experience the west how it really was, ok maybe, you might learn some things about movie making and have some western fun doing it. But again you will have to let your four legged friend stay at one of the nice boarding places in the area.

   Arizona Highways Magazine (1-year auto-renewal) 

On one of our trips to Tucson we ran into bad weather, it was how ever Monsoon Season. Living in Arizona you see dust devils all the time. But what we saw this day was a Haboob. We could not tell what direction it was going. It overtook the highway with a lot of wind and rain that turned to mud from all the sand. First I was in the front seat then the back seat, it was scary, did not know where it was safe. We passed an eighteen wheeler overturned and everyone was having to zigzag all over the road to avoid debri from the billboards. So when in the desert or any time you are outdoors be aware of what the weather is doing.

We went to a place in Nevada called Ely. While up there we got to sit and watch ground squirals & visited a preserve where there were all kinds of beautiful birds. All this is north of Las Vegas, been there too, oh yeah...but that is another story for another time.  

 Big Bear, California 

Had a great, a very dog friendly place to visit. We hiked up an adventurous trail called "Castle Rock" the views were fantastic! after we got a bite to eat we walked around the Veterans memorial park, beautiful view of the marina plus lots of grass. My favorite was a park called "Bolder Bay", it was cool there were bolders all out in the bay. Even got my picture with a bear, he was wood of course. Now if you want a nice relaxed walk along the waters edge check out the Stanfield marsh boardwalk and say hi to the ducks.   

www.bigbear.com 

Las Vegas Nevada

Living so close to Vegas we get to explore both the natural wonders around the city as well as the strip. There are a number of places that are dog friendly. One of my favorite is the Desert Breeze County Park. It has lots of grass for me to play in, it has both a path where we can walk with me on the leash and an area where dogs can play fenced in. They like it because it is just five miles from the strip.

The Lorenzi Park, just about a mile west of downtown is another great place to play in the grass and it has a beautiful lake.

Now for a small fee the Floyd Lamb State Park is a good place. With paths winding around the fishing lakes, historic sites and grassy areas shaded by trees makes it another one to put on your list of places to visit.

This park is at the top of our list of great dog friendly hiking places. Spring Mountain Recreation Area with over 316,000 acres within the Toiyabe National Forest and only thirty five miles outside of town. If you time your visit right you can see the waterfall or check out one of the small caves all at the foot of the majestic Mt. Charleston.

 The fist park on our list is the Red Rock National Area. This park has hiking for everyone but keep in mind dogs are allowed on some and not others. Now you don't have to be a hiker to enjoy this park thanks to it's 13 mile loop with it vistas and overlooks. If your trip can't squeeze in another fee you can get a sampling of this parks beauty by stopping by the visitor center, it's free. The rock formations and color should not be missed plus it is just a twenty five  minute drive from Vegas. 

www.looktours.com/free-things-to-do-in-las-vegas.html

 Here is Toby's Story  

Just A Puppy

 In my earliest memories I recall how difficult it was at first to walk, stumbling around and falling alot, but never really getting hurt, and when my mom would come to the enclosed area where my brothers and sisters and I were we had to hurry since there were more of us then places on her to feed.  It seemed I was always hungry.  Sometimes I was on top of my brothers and sisters feeding, other times on the bottom.  When on the bottom I was warmed by my mom and them, but frequently getting milk spilled on my head and face: my brothers and sisters were sloppy, but I didn't mind it still tasted good.  It seemed all we did was sleep, eat, pee and poo. Oh the good days. I also remember how difficult it was having a couple of my brother and sisters being taken away, not knowing what they did or whether I would ever see them again.  Then one day a woman and her daughter came and took me from my mom, brothers, and sisters to go and live with them, oh how I howled: you see I had never been away from my family before, and it frightened me . I was all alone. later I learned that the woman got me after her daughter said she would take care of me; feed me, walk me and clean up after me.  This, I am told, happens quite a bit. It didn't take long until I was neglected by the daughter and the mom assumed care.  We lived in an apartment that was two-story with a small backyard.  I had lots of energy and wanted to run and play, but I was put outside and told to pee-pee and then brought back in and put behind a gate in the kitchen.  When night came she would go upstairs, leaving me alone in the dark with so many scary sounds, so I howled: I was frightened. I was yelled at and hit night after night, until I just layed there to frightened to move, and afraid of being hit if I made any noise.  It was lonely, especially on the days when the mother worked becuase she would be gone 14-15 hours a day.  During the first year and a half of my life I spent that time in a cage.  At first I was little so I could move around, but as I got older the cage got smaller and it got more difficult to move.  Because of this, I didn't drink much since I didn't want to pee where I slept.  I even learned to hold it. 

Lessons Learned

At first I got very excited when she came home thinking it was finally time to play, but again I was put outside to pee and then brought back to the kitchen, at least out of the cage for a while.  I couldn't see her, because she was always upstairs.  After a while she would come down and feed me, but still not playing, so I learned to just lay there hoping for someone to come and spend time with me.  Occassionally the girl would come by and pat me, it made me so happy, but it was just for a few moments and then she, too, was off again.  On the days the lady was not at work she was busy around the house cleaning, and for some unknown reason she thought it a game to chase me around the house on the carpet with a machine that made a horrible noise, it frightened me to death, yet she just pushed it around following me and laughing.  I kept looking back and there it would be, not understanding what it would do to me if it caught me.  Later I learned it was called a vac. The floor in the kitchen was smooth, thank goodness that machine wasn't used in there, or so I thought.  She found a new game, I say a new way to terrorize me.  It was pushed around the room on a long stick and it hurt when it brushed me so I ran trying to escape it, but the floor was smooth so I slid and fell down alot and was then hit by it, they called it a broom.   She did, on these days, at least spent some time with me.  She taught me to sit and shake and chase after something that had a treat in it.  Oh how I longed for those days.  It's tuff being a puppy not having anyone around to play with, not even other animals. 

 Another wonderful time she thought we had together, not, was to go on rides in the car. We always went to the same place.  When we got there it was always noisy, other dogs I couldn't see barking, and the ones I could see I wasn't allowed to visit.  When we went into a room by ourselves someone was always trying to stick me with something it caused me to be so upset I threw up every time we got in the car.  It's tough to get excited about a car ride when the only place we went was to the vet.   Not having known any other way of life except the short time I spent with my family, and those memories were fading, I thought this was how it was to be for the rest of my life, until one day I was taken on a car ride with both the mom and the daughter.  The daughter never came before and the ride was longer, so despite being sick initially, I knew something was different, we were going someplace different, someplace better? 

 Rescued 

A new life began for me the moment we arrived at this new place.  A new face appeared on the other side of a outside enclosed area, and area much bigger than the little squared off area at our house.  The enclosure went all the way around a pool.  I was still on the back seats wining; nervous and excited all at once.  What was this place?  A few mins. later the woman returned to the car, put me on a leash and brought me over to the man.  He had a grin ear to ear calling me by my name saying come here.  I have never experienced such joy from anyone about me; I shook, and wagged my tail(although just a nub); I think I even peed a little. Despite being on the leash I drug the woman over to him.  He immediately started petting me, kissing me, and I was jumping up and down, tail wagging, tounge licking his face and not getting yelled at; this must be what true happiness feels like.  I didn't know what was going on, but I did not want it to stop.  After a few mins. though the man told the woman to release me from the leash.  She apologized for my jumping all over him and for the scratches I made on his legs: hey,  I didn't tell him to wear shorts.  He said, it's ok.  As soon as I was released from the leash the man ran off around the pool calling my name;  what was I to do, I ran.  I could feel my ears flapping in the wind, the sandy soil beneath my paws, my heart racing, even my tongue hanging a mile outside my mouth.  Every now and then he would stop and lean down saying good boy, petting me and hugging me.  I was so happy.  We played a few more mins, I even knocked him down a time or two:  his brakes worked better than mine, but he did not get angry he just laughed so I jumped on top of him tail still wagging faster than I thought even possible. After getting up from the ground he led us into his house.  The first room was the kitchen, so I knew what that meant: a gait was going up and I would never see him again outside this room, but I was wrong.  He ran down a long hall calling my name so I ran and he ran into another room with a sofa and table.  I did not make the corner fast enough despite there being carpet, so I ended up on the sofa.  I stopped for a few mins. waiting for the worst, I have never been allowed on furniture before, so I didn't know what to expect, but he just called my name as he ran down the hall.  I have never had so much fun, despite being a puppy, this was the most excersise I have ever had in my year and half of life.  Now, somewhat tired and thirsty he put out some water for me.  The woman gave him my treat holder: the only "toy" she ever gave me.  It was rubber and it housed my treat.  I would roll it around, shake it and work at getting my treat out.  Why would she give it to him, along with some other items that I recognized?  Quite frankly I was so tired, I took a drink and fell to the cool floor.  They visited a while and then the woman and daughter came over to me,petted me on the top of my head and said "good-bye".  I had never heard those words before, but looking back I never saw them again, and the funny thing is I don't miss them: I am in a happier place with not one, but two people( a story for another time) who love me, and I them.

www.petfinder.com

A New Home

It was weird the first night at this new place, first of all because as mentioned earlier I was allowed to run all over the house, and even up on the couch, but then they played fetch with me with a toy that the women brought.  It contained a treat in it and the object was to get the toy and figure out how to get the toy out, which I will have you know I had done many times before, but this time each time I brought it back to lay on the couch between them to get to the treat they gave me lots of loving, saying good boy and then would throw it and say go get it, so I did; this was new, but fun.  After a while I got tired, so one time when they threw it I just layed on the couch.  They must have known I was getting tired, so one of them when and got it; maybe a game I can teach them to do.  When he brought it to me I just layed there and let them love on me.  They were also distracted by the TV. Watching something called "Dogs 101". 

New Lessons

 After a while they had me go to the door where there was a string of bells, they knocked the bells and said pee-pee, over and over again.  After a few times, they knocked them, said pee-pee and opened the door and we all went outside, so I found a place to pee on and then we all sat on the deck.  It was getting dark so we didn't stay to long and I was very tired.  I have never played so hard in all my life, so I yawned alot and found it difficult to stay awake, especially while they were just sitting there petting me.  I kept thinking it must be a dream, one from which I hope never to awaken.  They finally said let's go to bed.  I feared that was the end of the loving; that I was to be confined to the kitchen alone in the dark and now at a strange place, but there was not a gate keeping me in the kitchen.  They took me into a room where there was a bed up off the floor, and they said up, so up I went-this was great, was I really going to be able to sleep with them, that I was no longer going to be alone and afraid.  They ran back and forth from different rooms, I just layed there barely able to keep my eyes open, but laying still hoping that if they don't notice me that they will not have me move.  After a few mins. they got into bed, one on either side and gave me some more loving, and then they said goodnight and the lights went out.  Again, I thought if this is a dream don't wake me. 

A Dog House

The next morning I was still very excited. They asked me if I needed to go out. When the door opened I could smell all kinds of new smells, during the night critters must have been running around out there, I was nervous, thought they were going to make me go out there all alone but they came with me and turned going to do my business into something fun. I ran around the yard and checked out all those new smells while they walked along with me. It made me feel safe. After a while I went on my own letting them work on something. I did not like all the banging around they were doing over there anyway. Soon they were calling me like something cool was happening. They said look, look you have your very own space, just for you when you are outside. I went in and checked it out, pretty cool, had my name and the address on it. They must have been reading my mind because they said it was just there for me when and if I wanted it. I did not have to stay outside, they just wanted me to have a cool place to go if and when I did come out. So now I have two cool houses. I can't wait to see what else this new life of mine has in store for me.

If you are like us you could not stand to have your pet lost so make sure you have this information 

www.lostfoundpets.us

    check out the exciting pictures at http://www.webstarts.com/dogsplus

for more great pet sites:

www.petswelcome.com

www.petsinpastel.com/links.htm

www.petassistancefoundation.org

www.petfriendlytravel.com

Thank You for stopping by, let us know what you think or tell us about your four legged friend at tobyzwebsite@yahoo.com, look forward to seeing you next time.