• Toby’s Very Confused Racism

    Every dog has quirks.Some chase their tails.Some bark at the vacuum.Toby had something far more embarrassing. He was inexplicably, impossibly, ridiculously confused by our Black friends and any Black person he saw nearby. The first time it happened, Stephanie and I nearly collapsed from shock. Toby, the gentlest creature to ever exist, the dog who…

  • The Weather Curse

    If there was one thing Toby perfected in his lifetime, it was choosing the worst possible moment to request a bathroom break. We live in Quebec, which means the weather does whatever it wants. One moment it is calm and sunny, the next moment it becomes a snow explosion, an ice rink, sideways rain, or…

  • The Muffin Betrayal

    There were many things Toby believed with complete confidence. He believed all couches were designed specifically for him.He believed all visitors arrived with the intention of admiring him.And most importantly, he believed that any cooking happening in the house was obviously for him. This rule had no exceptions.If a human was in the kitchen, Toby…

  • His Royal Highness and the Stomach of Doom

    Some dogs have sensitive stomachs.Some dogs have big appetites.Toby, being a Caniche Royal, chose to have both… at the exact same time. It was June 2020.COVID was in full force. Life was stressful, unpredictable, and exhausting. And Toby, in true royal fashion, decided this was the perfect moment to eat something stupid. To understand how…

  • The Very Late, Very Necessary Birthday Party

    Some dogs are easygoing.Some dogs are independent.And then there was Toby. Toby had two settings when it came to being away from his humans:1. Mild panic2. Full dramatic despair Which meant he either came to work with me or stayed at the one doggy daycare he actually trusted. And thankfully, that daycare adored him as…

  • The Day Toby Met the Hairless Cat

    Some moments in life feel like crossover episodes.This one was Toby’s. We were visiting Stephanie’s dad and his spouse, in their quiet home filled with warm lighting, old family photos, and the kind of calm only lived-in spaces have. Everything was peaceful, familiar, predictable. Until the cat walked in. To really appreciate what happened next,…

  • The Chicken Incident

    Every family has moments that define their daily chaos. Ours often revolved around a black standard poodle with more intelligence than the garbage bin was ever designed to handle. This particular episode took place on an ordinary afternoon, the kind where both of us were at work, convinced that the house was quiet and uneventful.…