I'm glad you stopped by! On this blog I will be documenting the journey I'm on with Toby, our Lab/Golden Retriever pup. Toby had his first birthday on February 9, 2012, and he was already a Canine Good Citizen. But he also has the nicknames "little terrorist", "sock dog",  and "destroyer of worlds". One of his first casualties was the cushion to the chaise lounge on the deck...then the wood frame of the fancy new front door...and the new clothes I had bought for my grandson. As he's gotten older he's become a bit finicky - he prefers to demolish new arrivals to the house.

You won't be surprised to learn that we started obedience classes early out of sheer desperation. Toby learned new commands in no time and remembers them almost instantly (provided enough treats are involved). I, on the other hand, am a decidedly slow and clumsy trainer. Every week in the first classes he made it look like I was spending hours practicing with him. In actuality, I was quite awkward on the rare occasions when I found time to work with him. But somewhere along the way I became aware that a dog as smart as Toby needs a job. Pet therapy began to seem like a possibility.

When I looked for a blog or website that would describe what it was like to develop into a pet therapy team I   came up empty. There were lots of places to get a description of pet therapy or information about the test or how to join an organization, but no personal stories about the journey.

Slowly, the idea of starting a blog like what I had searched for grew on me. Today, with the help of my blog designer and daughter Lauren, the Training Toby blog is officially launched.

Next post - how Toby joined the family!