Toby was surrendered by his owner to one of our foster moms in SC because she was concerned for his safety. He was the second dog she's given up to the rescue and there is domestic violence in her home. We are glad to get Toby out of that environment and wish his mom would follow suit. Toby is still hand shy, and will squeal when he gets touched unexpectedly in surprise. He's best in a calm, patient home that has a lot of love to give.

Toby's foster mom describes him as a very sweet boy who loves nothing better than to snuggle on your lap. He loves giving kisses, and will come up and give his person a few love licks on their ankle. He likes to sleep in bed with you and snuggle up under the covers at night.

He's being fostered with several other dogs, and found his place in the pack without any problems. He gets along well with the other dogs, and even helped welcome another new foster dog into the home recently. He loves to play and run around to have the other dogs chase him, sitting up on his hind legs to reach the face of the bigger dogs to bat at them playfully, or jumping on a chair to level the playing field. His previous owner said he been around cats with no issues, but we have not tested this in our care.

Toby is crate trained and loves to go for walks, but does have some leash issues he's working through. He’s full of joy when it's walk time, but he's not had much exposure to higher traffic area, so is still adjusting to the high level of dog walkers in his area, and we feel he would fit best in a more quiet, low traffic area. Toby needs a patient owner who will work with him on his leash issues, and get him on a consistent routine. 

Overall, Toby is a pretty mellow pup. He’s not a barker in the home, but will bark to alert you about things happening around the house. He is good with all adults, and would be better with older, more considerate children. He will sometimes bark at guests, but this seems to be out of excitement and is always eager to greet them.

 

FOSTER MOM UPDATE - 8/27/18

Toby arrived in N. Va on 8/25 and has settled in quickly to his foster home. He's being fostered with a large 60lb dog named Bubba, a teen boy, and is living in a condo community. His foster mom, Amy, shares this update:

"Toby, or Little Man as we call him, is doing amazingly well. He and Bubba are now playing together sweetly and Toby is more than holding his own. He slept in the crate last night and was perfect. He hasn't had any accidents and is very smart.

We started working on his barking last night and this morning, and he is already showing signs of improvement. I am using classical clicker training techniques, and he is responding very well. He loves hot dogs, by the way! :-)

I really am not seeing any problematic behaviors other than barking at some people and dogs he sees in the hall or along the sidewalk, which I think will fix in another couple of days as he settles in. He is definitely a lap dog and prefers to be in your lap at all times. But he will self-soothe in a little blanket nest on the sofa when I'm busy, or even in his crate. I put a blanket in there for him too. He likes to bury himself under the covers. :-)

He seems fine with all kinds of people. It's amazing to me how social he is considering everything that has happened to him. He really, really just wants to be loved. :-)"

 

FOSTER MOM UPDATE - 9/10/18

 

Update on Toby....

• Great with other dogs and people. Seems to love babies!
• Constant lap dog. Wherever you are, he is there cuddled up beside you.
• Great in the crate and also does well uncrated while I'm gone (up to 4 hours).
• No food aggression or toy aggression
• Does not seem to have any separation anxiety
• Very trainable. Highly motivated by treats and praise
• No accidents in the house. 
• Hasn't chewed up anything or even tried to get into trouble!
• He is fine with the vacuum or hair dryer. Doesn't react to noises, even in lobby.
• He has a cute little pig-snore when he sleeps sometimes. 
• He loves to cover himself in blankets! When he goes into his crate for a nap or if there is a blanket on the sofa, he will dig in and bury himself inside like a cocoon. It's really cute.

Things to work on...

As Toby has settled in, his foster mom has observed some increased reactivity on leash towards other dogs. He walks well on the leash (no pulling) but will bark and lung at some dogs. He needs to be redirected, otherwise he will bark. With gentle corrections, he does pretty well around most, but not all dogs. He will need continued work on his leash greeting skills in his new home. Because of this, we really feel he will do better in a single family home vs. a condo. He is most barky in hallways, elevators, and higher traffic areas.  

Also, Toby has some PTSD like behaviors from his past life, and some sensitivity to unexpected touch. His foster mom he one time gently nudged him with her foot to move over (because he was underfoot while she was trying to cook), and he cried out and ran away with his tail tucked. He does not nip, or act aggressive in any way, but it scares/startles him. Now, if she needs to move him, and he is refusing, she just picks him up to carry him to the other room. He's totally fine with being petted, or being picked up and carried. It seems to be more related to unexpected touches and human feet.

Toby is a very social, sweet boy who will make a great pup and family companion. Apply for him today!

BREED ESTIMATE: Dachshund/Chihuahua mix    
GENDER:   Male
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: 9 to 10 lbs 
APPROXIMATE AGE: 4 to 5 years old 
COAT TYPE:   Short 
ADOPTION FEE:   $350
OTHER INFO:   UTD on shots/neutered/microchipped
LOCATION:  Rockville, MD

FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to http://adopt.worthydog.org and complete the application.

You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to http://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application.

Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.