The Beginning
Toby is my family’s 3rd dog, prior to that we have Fifi (Yuan Yuan), and Bobby. Like Bobby, we adopted him. Toby belongs to my eldest sister’s orchestra’s teacher, however with little experience in taking care of dog. They kept him in the kitchen, beat him with newspaper, and fit he salty vegetables and fish. Toby was given to them. My eldest treated Toby very well, everytime she visit the teacher.

First Visit
My first vivid memory of Toby was during a Chinese New Year Reunion dinner, when the teacher came to my house to eat as they were away from their family. They brought Toby with them. Overwhelmed by our love, his nervousness cause him to PEE on me! But the little dog had the nerve to rough up my big dog BOBBY… kept barking at him, although is a nice old mellow loyal dog.

First Stay
The teacher went home for holiday.. As a result seeing the state, Toby was in, he sent Toby to the doctors and grooming to have him all fixed up and brought him home. I was probably in my Secondary 1 or 2.. that was 1995. Can’t remember the details. Toby was probably born anytime between 1993-1994. He had a spare room where he sleeps. But he hates it, he always wanted my eldest sister attention, so he always wail, and bang the door to get out. And when he gets out, he will sit outside my eldest sister door, and wait for her to the door.. to the extreme he will scratch the door. Strangely, when he first came, i dislike him, first for his fierceness, and he always bully FIFI, the dog i favor most.. heee.. He always fight for food with him, always bully fifi… and we always called him ET. But he has a very amazing ability, to stand on his hind leg.. he will often grapple with FIFI, both standing on their hind legs.. FIFI often lose, because he is tad too heavy for a poddle. I can’t remember for how long he stayed, he went back to stayed with the teacher for a while, before they gave him up to us.

Second Stay
He 2nd stay probably was during my O Levels times, he a super barky dog, love to bark at everyone except my eldest sister, always wagging his tail at her. But stangely, his has a dislike of outdoor compare to FIFI. Fifi loves wandering in our garden, toby hates even stepping on the grass… probably for petite size, and being a toy dog. he preferred to stay indoor and on land. He also a troublesome dog, whenever he fell sick, because he hates to take medication, super not co-operative. Even til now!

His 2nd stay was more dramatic, as he follow us from Kembangan (BIG Semi-Detached House) to Tampines St 11 (3 room flat) to Changi Green (condo) to Tampines St 32 and finally our permanent place. Ever since, ever since my Secondary 3, he has always slept in my mother’s room. Since then, i always slept in different room from him, so i never really spend real quality time with him, except every now and then i will play with him, stroke him, allow him unto my bed! He is a super attention-seeker.. he always stand on his hind leg, and put his foreleg on u, scratching you, looking for attention . So i often put him on my bed or my table, so he can get close to me, and stop scratching me!

Love, Tender, Care, 2005
Starting from my previous house, i really build a bond with Toby, everytime he gets out of his room, the first thing he does, is to peee…! then the next thing scratch my door all the time, so he always get into my room. However that is often not enough, he wants attention, so i put him on my bed! But that’s still not enough, he will bark and wail to get your attention, so i just carry him around and show him love and tender care.

Dogkeeper, 2006
For a month, my mum was away from home, so little toby had to be taken care by me and mine 2nd sister. That’s was the time we really started to realise, toby is pretty bored, he needs love and tender care, someone to play with him. By then he has really mellow to and old SWEET DOG… So we took turns, he sleep in our room, we cook for him, we played with him. I remember by then he was a little too old to jump up and down the bed. So often, before we left the house, i must prepare 2 sleeping spot for him, one just below my bed, another at the sofa. At my bedroom, i took some towels and blanket, and make him a cozy spot, with a fan nearby, he loves it. And then outside my room, a tray of food and beverages for him. Then at the sofa, a nice cute towel, and a blanket at the floor, so he could jump up and down the low sofa. He loves both spot so much. Many times, he so sound asleep when we come back, because he so bored that know one plays with him when we are out working. But the moment he wakes up, he jumps all over you. That’s was the time we brought him his first shirt… Called “I am not No No“.

My Bed, or You are not sleeping, 2007

After my mum came back, he was not used to sleeping in a room anymore, he wanted to roam the whole house and often he will bark my mother, if he doesn’t let him out, or he will scratch the door. However a little trick still work, just open the door, even if he’s on the bed and not allowed to get out, he’s still happy, but he can see who’s out there. When he gets down, the first room he goes is mine, and he scratch til i wake up, but if when he try long enough, and still fail, he goes to my sister room. If you let him in, that doesn’t stafisifed him, he countines to stand on his hind legs, and scratch your bed, to make he gets up to u and get a piece of you… licking u..heeee.. Due to the lack of space, he loves to sleep on his back in my room, on my bed. Sad to say, i traveled a lot, so that year, i spend little time with him, but whenever i could, i always make sure, he can sleep in my room. When i was not around, i dun know how did the cushion that sihui and sarah gave me fell onto the floor.. and that became his sleeping couch during the daytime no matter whether i am around.

Shifting to the Brand New Place
At my new place, i got what I always wanted, a TATAMI… so did my sister. But my mother still went with the convention bed. The first week we shifted in, my mother’s bed frame hasn’t come, so doggie toby still slept with her. But by the time, the bed frame came, and 50 cm tall.. Toby hates it, because it restrict his movement, and he often get thirsty at night, so he will bark and wail, same meaning: come get me. So my sister, emily, dutifully oblidge, but instead of putting him in her room, she sent toby to my room.. Smart! But anyway from then on, he never look back, my room is his home, he sleeps everyday in here. Because i cannot bare seeing him sleep at the door carpet waiting for us to come back and open the door.

So he took over my room, i always give him the angry face whenever he pee in my room, so that he understand is a no no. But that became a problem. Coz he sleep with me, nobody open door for him to get out and pee.. so the only way to get out, he scratch, and lick my face…yeee.. sometimes i just pull the blanket over myself, he will stand and jump all over my head to make sure i get the signal. If i still refused, then he has no choice, he will pee at my dustbin! Everyday, he will jsut wait for me and my sister to get home, the moment i get home, he jump out of bed, and follow me everywhere, at times even attempt to get into the toliet… and i play merry go-around with him around our sofa… At this time, we also realised he start to love crowd and stranger attention. becoming a super friendly dog, going after everyone including this little gal.

Falling Sick
Toby has always been a super healthy dog, and super active, even up to the day he had his first fit.. That day i still remember i went Xtron and work til 2 a.m. My mother still ask me is it okay to leave toby in the room alone. I came back and try to hide from him, he still found me.. and actively jump up to play with me. I fed him chicken and apple, which he happily took and he look happy. but suddenly that night i felt something strange about him, he wail abit, the next thing i saw him fall of my mattress, trying to get up. I pick him and put him on the bed. and lay him in a good sleeping position. This week, i noticed he hasn’t been waking as early as he usually does at 5 a.m. He has been sleeping in quite a lot. And on Saturday, just one hour after i shifted him to sleep on the left of my bed, and i tuck in right… he started getting into a fit. i was awaken by his struggled, i try to calm him, and he started panting and wailing, i got my whole family to wake up, and quicky locate the hospital address and sent him there. After a day of checkout, poor toby went home looking confused and tired, he couldn’t walk properly. Then, sunday, he woke, quite alive, following us around, even found strength to do the usual art of barking at mother, who always feed him medicine, which he hates…

Sunday night, i was preparing to go for a jog, seeing that toby finally woke up to have some drink. I left in the new bed that i bought him, and went to prepare. But before i knew it, he got up, vomited, diarhorrea.. and then suddenly threw into a fit, and wail again for help. I quickly applied a dosage of the medicine that the docs gave us. he calm down. I quickly called Emily. I called a cab. and straight away sent him to the hospital again. Again, he went into a fits in the car… that’s was bad, he was really trembling and wailing and peeing in the cab. The cab driver drove as fast as he could. And we put toby under hospital care..

July 13, 2008-i am staying up, because i so not used to not having toby to huddle before i sleep. I hope he feeling comfortable under special care. Good night toby, see you tomolo! I am looking forward to huddling you!

July 14, 2008-i huddle toby for the very very last time, i carry him like a baby. I hug and kiss him, and finally seeing the things he has gone through, we let him sleep… And he is in rest forever now. Good bye toby, you have been a loyal companion, comforting us whenever we are down, adding joy to everyday of our lives. And constantly with us through our ups & down. You never fail to give us the attention even when times we gave you less. Thank you toby. Hopefully, one day we will meet again in heaven.