Toad came to visit me again today. He came in from the cold and the snow and it was a pleasant surprise. It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of his company and I’ve missed him.
Toad is a sweet and mild mannered Black Lab. He may have some other bit of breed mixed in being that he’s not as large as you might expect a Lab to be.
His owner lives about a mile down the hill but Toad likes to roam around up here when he can. He wants to visit with his friends.
All my neighbors love him and he has become what seems like a community dog around here.
When he occasionally comes scratching at my door, I’m happy to let him in and to offer him warmth, comfort and a little food. He repays me many times over with his friendship and affection. The bond between us is strong and there’s a warm glow of his presence that brightens up my apartment.
There’s another reason Toad often comes up to spend time here. He has a girlfriend. She is a black and white canine and we named her Willow. She is homeless, wild, free and quite skittish of humans. But whenever she sees Toad she just lights up with joy, wags her tail and gives him kisses.
My neighbors and I regularly leave food and water out for Willow.
We are surprised at her ability to survive here in the harsh winter cold. She just recently gave birth to a litter of eight puppies.
Their arrival into this cruel world of ice, wind and snow must have been quite a shock to the poor innocent critters. Luckily, some kind hearted human rescued most of them with the intent of finding them good homes.
Dogs quite typically seem devoted to just one owner or to one particular family. Toad is different in this respect. He’s much more social. Even though his owner is very caring and responsible, she is used to him coming up and hanging out with us.
When he is gone for a while she calls me up to see if he is with me. And in the afternoon when she drives up to check mail at the post office, she comes by my place to fetch him and take him back home.
When he is with me, Toad loves to tag along hiking uphill for my afternoon walk around the park. He boldly marks his territory all along the way. He rips and tears around the grass having great fun. And he just loves to roll around and dig in the snow.
When I talk to him he seems to have a fair understanding of English. He is eager to please and is very well behaved.
He’s lying on the floor next to me now dozing peacefully. And when I call his name his tail whacks the floor with a thump, thump, thump. You can’t help but love this black bundle of fur.
One of his big thrills is hopping in my car and going for a ride. He just loves to cruise. But he’s not hyper and eager to lean out the car window like other dogs. He just lays on the back seat as content as he can be.
There’s something else Toad does that shows how smart he is. His journey up the hill from his owner’s home is intersected by the major Highway 93. It would be a danger for him to cross over it. However, Toad travels safely through the viaduct beneath the highway.
He perks right up like my old buddy, Woofie, used to do each time I put on my shoes, hat and jacket. He knows we’re going out and he’s always up for fun and adventure.
He gives an excited yelp of joy when I say to him, “Hey, lets get on the road, Toad”
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