Hi! This is Toby the BIG DOG. I had an ad-ven-ture today. I stayed outside in the yard ALONE. Not just to play or go weewee but...stayed.outside.alone. I was brave, I was. I barked at the birds and barked at the noises and barked at all the BIG SCARY THINGS all around and played all alone with the ball without Xander taking it away. I heard Mommy leave in the car thing. She's NEVER gone away in the car thing with ANY of us in the yard, and she's NEVER left me alone without Xan. So I tried to peek out of the gate, and then I tried to squeeze through it. I tried to open the door too, I scratched and scratched. And then I laid down in the grass. I didn't cry, nope, nosirree, not me, I'm a big boy, I just laid down like a fierce big dog. And I wasn't scared, and I wasn't sad and I didn't miss Willow and even cranky Xander and didn't miss Mommy, nope, nope, nope.
I must have slept because when I woke up I heard Mommy's car thing coming back, and I heard Mommy go in the front door and heard Willow, silly Willow, yipping and yapping. I think she was trying to TELL Mommy, I do. But instead of coming outside, Mommy started CALLING ME. I heard her "Where's Toby? Toby! Toby!! TOBY!!!?" and some other stuff and Mommy sounded SCARED. I didn't know big humans get scared. I wanted to tell her "Mommy, I'm out here" but she wouldn't have heard me. Boy, did she run around in that house, yes she did, oh yes. Finalllllly the back door opened and Willow and Xan came out and Mommy saw me and scooped me up and I let her cuz I already proved what a big fierce guard dog I am so I pretended I was a little puppy-boy again for Mommy. She hugged me so tight and kept saying "sorry...oh my God poor little Toby oh you poor baby, you big brave boy, oh my god how could I..."and all kinds of words and I licked Mommy's face and let her hold me and even stayed in her lap when she sat down, like I was a BABY. That's okay. I know I'm brave enough to be a big dog now, but I sure don't ever want to be alone again, and it sure was good to feel Mommy hold me and see silly Willow and Xan and even the CATS again.

PS...Mommy fed me summer sausage!!! All for me!!! And kept calling me "poor little Toby" and "you brave boy".

That was my ad-ven-ture!

Toby