On Wednesday of this week (4/18/18) at least two beloved corgis ended their stays on earth. One belonged to Queen Elizabeth (the last of her famous corgis), and one belonged to us. Both the Queen’s Willow and our Toby were 14 years old.

The news coverage all says that Queen Elizabeth was hit “extremely hard” by the loss of Willow. We understand. Both of these dogs were important and loved.

I know how it is when other people lose a pet. I empathize with them, but there is no way I can know about everything they will miss about that pet. So it is with our Toby to you. He was our family member, not yours. I am certain you can understand what we are feeling, but you cannot know exactly what made Toby special to our family. So for my sake I need to write a few words. You might find something here for you as well, but even if not I hope you will understand my need to pay tribute to our royal corgi. He was certainly treated like royalty around here.

Margot and Toby – March 2004

In tribute to him I need to say that he was our first corgi. We got him as a puppy from Yvonne Gerhardt in Fredericksburg, Texas. I will never forget that spring break when we spent a few days in Fredericksburg. Our primary mission was meeting with Yvonne and getting our new family member. He was so tiny.

He was everything we wanted in a dog.

As he grew we added another corgi, Fiona, to the mix. We also added our daughter’s corgi mix, Rhett. They were quite the threesome. Fiona ruled the roost until she left us. Toby and Rhett got along splendidly, and now Rhett is wondering why the house is so quiet.

Toby loved food. Breakfast, midday snack, dinner, midnight snack. He would eat as much as we would feed him. He never lost that right up until the very last. More about that later.

Toby’s “personality” was not without its challenges. Many years ago when our son’s girlfriend was at our house for a Super Bowl party, she reached down to pet Toby and he bit her finger. We think it was the anxiety of having a house full of young people, but he did it. We were very cautious after that, but when he would get surprised, he would sometimes snap. Many years ago he bit a vet (at our former clinic) despite our warning her that he sometimes bites. Instead of exercising caution, she reached down to pet him and drew back a bitten finger.

Matt, Toby, and Fiona

That particular bite was especially costly. When the vet went to the emergency room for her finger (which I still think was unwarranted, but whatever), the authorities filed a report and we got a knock at the door from the puppy police. City ordinance required that Toby go to dog jail (quarantine) for 10 days. The only place we could find that would take him was Premier Animal Hospital in Cedar Park, Texas. That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship that continues to this day.

Not only did Toby graduate from quarantine, he thrived under the care of Dr. Todd Rabon and the staff at Premier. I wish I could properly convey the gratitude that my family and I have for Dr. Rabon. As a Longhorn with a lot of friends and family who are Aggies, he is right up there as one of my favorite Aggies. He is a compassionate human being who understands what people go through when it is time to say goodbye. He does it right.

Before I get to the Toby sendoff, I have to say that Dr. Rabon’s care of Toby over the years included the removal of a toe that had to go and the removal of a cancerous tumor last November. Through all of the years of care, no one at Premier was ever bitten. That is a testament to the professionalism of this organization.

The Gum Caper

Two years ago there was also The Gum Caper. The child of a friend who was staying with us for a couple of days left a pack of sugar-free gum in her suitcase in the guest room and left the door open. Toby found it and enlisted Rhett’s help in consuming pretty much every last bite. When I discovered it I saw enough of the remaining package to know that they had eaten gum sweetened with xylitol. As you may know, xylitol is very toxic to dogs. Since it was after hours, off we went to the ER. After staying all night in the ER getting treatment, they were then transferred to Dr. Rabon at Premier where he successfully treated them. The total bill between the ER and the follow-up was $3,646. That hurt, but we were so grateful that they were both in such great hands. I understand that Toby and Rhett were known for a while at Premier as The Xylitol Twins.

Toby and his buddy Rhett

It was the cancerous tumor that was removed last November that came back and ultimately led us to the recent decision. I mentioned how much Toby loved food. Let’s just say that the awesome vet tech, Meredith, knew this and lavished Toby with incredible treats and sent him out a very happy dog. We will forever be grateful to both Meredith and Dr. Rabon. You guys are simply the best. Our entire family appreciates your compassion and professionalism.

Closing Thoughts

I vividly remember 16 years ago both of my kids, dogless at the time, exerting maximum pressure on me to add a canine to our feline household. I resisted for two years until I was finally worn down. They did not know the real reason that I resisted for so long. It was not because I disliked dogs. In fact, it was the exact opposite. I love dogs. I grew up with a wonderful beagle named Snoopy. I still get teary-eyed thinking about Snoopy. What I knew sixteen years ago about dogs is that they do not live forever. There always comes a day like Wednesday when the Queen and I have to say goodbye to our corgis.

Toby and Kellen at Christmas

Sixteen years ago I was basically a coward not wanting the hurt of saying goodbye. I was wrong. This really does hurt terribly, but I was wrong. I would not trade one day of our 14 years with Toby to avoid this pain (OK, maybe I would trade the days that he bit someone). This pain is rendered irrelevant compared to the incredible journey of sharing our lives with old Toby.

Margot and I both thanked Toby for being such a great companion. Our house will never be the same, but our lives are richer for having shared them with Toby. The tears will slow, but the memories will never stop.

I will miss you and those big beautiful ears, Toby-Bear.