Toby

Last Updated: September 16, 2009

Rescuer: Meg Ridgely at meegri@yahoo.com

Here is Toby’s story, in the words of his rescuer:
“Toby was turned into a “‘Halfway House’ shelter in Missouri along with 3 other corgis and 2 Cavalier King Charles spaniels by a wanna-be puppy miller. Toby, unable to be sold and with one floppy ear, spent the first year of his life in a 24″ x 24” (admitted by the “owner” – sweet) wire cage. Apparently of no value as a breeder (that darn floppy ear), Toby was passed on to a shelter.
“Once at the shelter, it became apparent that his skittishness and timidity would prevent him from being adopted, and the shelter turned to a local corgi rescuer, who in turn put the word out that an extremely shy, unadoptable corgi was in danger of euthanization unless there was someone out there who might be willing to try and rehab him. I’m such a sucker for ex-mill workers (I’ve had two – both females – and it is the coolest thing to see these dogs progress – even if it’s in tiny baby steps over a long period of time)…..
“He loves to meet other dogs, gets along great with my 3 (all corgis, all rescues), and is curious about people but has no real desire to be near humans unless he HAS to (read: food time).
“Unlike the ex-mill females I’ve had, Toby is not “shell shock shy”, but rather HORRIFIED by people to the point of acting semi-feral (likely because he had virtually zero human contact for the first year or so of his life). The good news is that he’s young – the miller said he is “about 2”, but I think he’s younger than that.
“He has made HUGE strides in the past two weeks – he will come when called (he doesn’t really want you to touch him once he’s there, but we’re working on that), he’s learned “sit”, and is working on “stay” and “don’t chew that!”. Contrary to what we had planned for him, he learned the dog door by watching its use ONCE (we didn’t want him to learn THAT right away, even though we have a secure yard), and he now sleeps happily on the bed. The Bed! He loves being up there because I think he doesn’t think of horizontal humans as being so terrible or scary. On the bed, he’s a totally different dog and will gladly snuggle in for the night. Last night he discovered the bean bag ottoman in the living room. Comfort is now a priority to Toby :)”
CorgiAid supporters will help Toby get shined up on his health care, so he can work on learning how to be a beloved pet. Thank you!