Introducing the Referee

As my good friend Alison put it, Toby gets no love...but he's a BIG part of our lives...even for such a small individual but he never makes it on the blog and that's going to change. It is mostly due in part to the fact that he never makes it out of the house...it is pretty much best for everyone. Toby is just as happy to stay at home and nap on the couch as the dogs are to go to baseball games and find tee pees while hiking.

Most people who know Toby understand that he's got a BIG personality. Toby's sole job is to pretty much keep us all in line. He gets involved if Jerry is picking on Sandy and even keeps Sandy in line if she's just plain annoying him. And sometimes if Jerry is being his occasional stubborn self, Toby intervenes and all of a sudden Jerry obeys. It is truly amazing to watch this little 10 pound man boss around 100 pounds of canine. Toby was the first creature on animal planet and deserves a post of his own. So let me introduce the "man of the house". First off, here's the most recent picture I've got of him...taken just a few weeks ago.

And as Toby does best, showing the dogs who is king and taking over their beds...

The furry creatures really do all get along! Especially on a warm day on the balcony.

The 4 of us hanging out on a Sunday morning...

Toby is a 5 year old (soon to be 6 in October) maine-coone mix that followed me home from work one day back in Houston and hasn't left my side since. He's not much of a cuddler but then again, neither are Sandy nor myself. He has a very sweet side that, unfortunately, many don't see that much b/c if you pet him more than he deems appropriate you'll meet his teeth very quickly. Toby and Mike have a love/hate relationship. Let's just say that Mike isn't a big fan of Toby (if you ask me there's a bit of a 'power struggle' as to who the 'man of the house' is) until he realizes how many spiders Toby actually kills in any given day. Then Toby is the #1 man on Mike's list (watch out Jerry).

And one of my favorite pictures of Toby at about a year old...