Every family has its own little expressions, the kind that belong only to the people who lived together.
One of ours was “Caniche Cleaning Services.”
Toby took this title very seriously.
Whenever food fell on the floor, Stephanie and I did not bend down to pick it up. We summoned the professional. All it took was a gentle call into the air.
“Caniche Cleaning Services.”
And from wherever he was in the house, Toby appeared like a tiny culinary superhero.
He arrived with purpose in his steps.
His nose twitched like a radar system.
His eyes sparkled with the thrill of opportunity.
This was his calling.
Before Amira was born, Caniche Cleaning Services mainly handled adult spills. A dropped piece of chicken. A crumb of bread. Something that rolled under the table. Toby would inspect the site, clean everything with astonishing precision, then look up for a performance review.
“Is this acceptable?”
His face asked the question every time.
But when Amira arrived in 2020, Toby’s business expanded overnight.
Amira was tiny, adorable, and extremely messy.
She dropped everything.
Pasta spirals.
Rice grains.
Vegetable bits.
Crackers that somehow exploded on impact.
Toby saw none of it as a problem.
He saw it as opportunity.
Whenever Amira’s food hit the floor, the ritual was the same. Stephanie and I shared a knowing glance.
“Caniche Cleaning Services,” we called.
And once again, Toby appeared.
He approached slowly, as if evaluating the scene of a gourmet crime. He sniffed carefully, checked for hidden treasures between chair legs and under the table, then got to work. His tail wagged with professional pride as he cleaned every corner. He had a special talent for finding tiny pieces of food no human eye could detect.
Amira watched him with fascination.
Sometimes she giggled.
Sometimes she offered him food deliberately, dropping it on the floor like a tip for excellent service.
Toby, ever the polite professional, accepted those payments with gratitude.
The whole thing became one of the funniest ongoing jokes in our home. We did not have a dog. We had a highly specialized cleaning technician who offered immediate, thorough, and enthusiastic service.
And the best part is that he genuinely thought he was helping.
In his mind, he was saving us from a household disaster.
In ours, he was just being Toby.
Caniche Cleaning Services remained active for years, ready at a moment’s notice.
It was efficient, dependable, and deeply adorable.
Classic Toby.