Tosh part one
We all agreed. We needed a dog. Four kids three girls one boy as well as my wife and I were ready.
We had a home with a large yard a vacation property in Muskoka, and great areas for runs and walks.
An acquaintance of mine told me his brother Tom had of a beautiful female black lab that he could no longer keep and was looking for a new owner. He was from England and had moved to Canada several years before. He lived on a cottage on Lake Erie. There was plenty of beach to explore, almost perfect for a black lab whose love for water is well known. He named her Tosh. . When I asked him, he said a Tosh was an easygoing, friendly, well-liked individual ……both male and female. As I learned throughout her life with our family, you couldn’t have chosen a better name for that dog.
Tom was going to be married and move into town ,so he could no longer keep the dog.
I decided to go myself to visit Tosh for the first time by myself, although the kids were anxious to go with me.
I was somewhat nervous about this first meeting and had not yet committed to getting her or ,buy a new puppy.
I knocked on the door and heard a definite “WOOF”. I liked the sound of it. Tom answered the door, introduced me to his bride to be, and then to Tosh herself. She was a real lady, extremely friendly, with a very active tail, and more than willing to shake a paw with me. For me, it was love at first sight.
After a few details I thanked them so very much…… shook hands as if we were completing a deal.
It occurred to me the Tosh may be upset about leaving her owner, but she joyfully followed me outside and jumped into the front seat of my car. Her tail did not stop. She must have thought she was off on another adventure.
Off the two of us went, and our bonding began in full force. I phoned my family and told them we’re on our way home.
Definite joy and excitement was the order of the day. We arrived in the driveway and everyone was outside waiting. Tosh was most gracious in greeting everyone and was immediately making friends with her new family.
We had balls toys, frisbees, dog dishes, and a brand-new pet bed.
She fit right in almost immediately. It was evident to all of us the Tosh was the perfect fit for our family.
Over the following months to years Tosh was involved in almost all aspects of the family. She loved fetching the ball and the frisbee, riding in boats, swimming in the pool as well as joining all of us on our bike rides jogs and other adventures.
She absolutely loved Dick lake, our cottage property in Muskoka. It was almost too good to be true how easy this transition was. \
In the winter, she would chase and run away with the puck during our hockey games. In the summer, she would jump off the boat for a swim in the lake. We taught her how to climb the ladder in the pool, and she could usually do this in the boat as well.
In all the years that we had Tosh, I never saw an unfriendly or threatening action to anyone. This included all strangers. She would bark when a stranger arrived at the house, but quickly reverted to her friendly self when she saw that no threat to the family existed.
With three little girls and one little boy Tosh would easily consent to being ridden, sat upon, had her nails painted, or even being dressed up in people clothes. She loved to lie on her back, spreadeagled, for her belly rubs. Her head would lay flat back, and her black upper lips would flop over. The kids loved to play with them. This was not at all a problem for the dog.
She was used to wandering because of her original location on Lake Erie. This did not seem to be a problem here, since all the neighbours loved her so much.
She had a group of four or five neighbourhood dogs that would gather at the back door most mornings to wait for Tosh. The biggest of these dogs was Bunker, a very hairy but very friendly beast. We’d let Tosh out. Everyone would have a good sniff and off they went for their adventures. Most of these measures include a doggy treat to each and every dog from the neighbours along the route. I’m not sure how we handled the dog poop aspect but none no one, to my knowledge, complained.
Our four kids attended a public school about a kilometre or so away. It was fairly common for us to get a phone call from the school to come and get Tosh after recess was done.
That certainly wouldn’t happen these days. How Tosh knew her way to the school and when recess was, remains a puzzle to me.
Tosh was not only a cherished member of our family but also of the neighborhood. She grew up with us.
The years went by and Tosh slowly lost that spring in her step, but her happy personality never changed.
At about 12 years of age she began to appear thinner. And she wouldn’t eat as much.
One day after coming home from work on a Friday I left the car to find Tosh lying on the front lawn waiting for me.
I knelt down to greet her with my usual affection, and was getting ready to go into the house when she put her front paw on my arm and began to quietly bark, whine, and whimper for many minutes. She was obviously trying to tell me something and it was very difficult to leave. I rolled her on her back for her belly rub. I have examined many bellies in my time, both people and various animals. It was very obvious to me that Tosh had a large mass in her abdomen just below her left rib cage. She also had evidence of ascites, free fluid in the abdominal cavity. This was a telltale sign of cancer. I was heartbroken.
One of my best friends was a general surgeon in Windsor and the other was Tosh’s vet. After discussing the situation, both of them agreed to meet Tosh and me at the vet office clinic the next morning. End of part one