Toby's A Good Boy

The following events occurred in the early morning hours of December 29, 2009 just after midnight.

Before I left the US for Ghana I spent a few days in Virginia with my Dad and Stepmom Alice and their side of my family. Alice’s daughter, my stepsister Robin, was in town from North Carolina with her husband and kids also. They brought their dog Toby with them. Toby is a Black Lab Chow mix who is really cute. One night another cousin was taking care of Toby at her house. Most of the family was staying at a timeshare in Williamsburg and dogs aren’t allowed at the timeshare. Toby was really afraid and he would not get out of her car once she got him to her house. I was on my way back to my Dad’s near where she was so they asked me to go over and help her out.

When I arrived at the house it was about 35 degrees outside, and Toby had been in the car for over an hour. He was probably really cold and still terrified, hence why he wouldn’t get out of the car. So I came up and got in the car with him. He let me pet him and talk to him. He just sat watching me with a very cautious look on his face. I tried to get him out of the car but his collar came off. Bad move on my part because now he was really scared. I decided to try to put his collar back on. I figured if he let me do that he would be fine. He let me put the collar on and let me pet him some more. I offered him some food but he turned his head. So I told Alta, the cousin who was taking care of him, to get in on the other side of the car and coax him out of the door near me. She got in and he started walking toward me in the car. I got out of the car and waited for him to get close to me. When he did I scooped up all 50 pounds of him in my arms.

I looked at him and he seemed nervous still but ok. So I turned and took two steps toward the house. It all happened so fast. Everything went black as a crunching sound consumed my right ear. Searing pain shot through my entire head. I opened my eyes as I dropped Toby. I caught a glimpse of him running around the side of the house but I couldn’t quite figure out what just happened. I touched my ear and the side of my head and looked at my hand to see if I was bleeding. I thought he had bitten me but there was no blood on my hand just an unbelievable pain in my ear. I touched my ear again this time there was one drop of blood.

Alta came around the car screaming. My dad had been there too sitting in his car and then he ran over also. Alta asked me if he bit me and I told her I wasn’t sure. I’m in pain but I’m not ble……I touched my ear again and this time my hand was covered in my own blood. I felt it running down my neck and I immediately started towards the house with Alta still screaming behind me. My father followed her very upset. Alta got me a towel and I cleaned up as best as I could. I thought I would be fine without going to the hospital but my father insisted I go to the hospital and I’m glad he did.

My Dad rushed me to the hospital in Williamsburg, VA. Alta called the family members at the timeshare, also in Williamsburg to let them know what happened. Robin and her husband Daryl met us at the hospital with Toby’s vet and shot information in case the doctors needed it.

We spent the night in the ER. I spent most of the time cracking jokes. The doctor said “We may have to amputate it” as a joke I responded “Good I never liked that ear anyway!” I also asked her if they could just put a metal rod through some of the bite marks and turn them into piercings. :)

I was the only one who wasn’t really upset. I kept making jokes about it and laughing. I thought it was funny. At that point I was bitten. Getting upset was only going to get my heart racing and make me bleed more than I already was. So during the trip to the ER I just chilled and waited.

The doctor sewed me up with 7 stitches. There were 5 in the front of my ear and two in the back. Toby had bitten clean through my ear. The doctor told me she could see through it from one side to the other. I informed the doctor I was heading to Ghana in a few days. She told me there was a high risk for infection with a wound like mine so they would give me an IV with antibiotics and prescribe strong antibiotics for me to take for 10 days. I would also have to find a clinic or hospital in Ghana to remove the stitches in a week. I would find out later those antibiotics were the cause of my sickness while travelling.

Now poor Toby (yes I said poor) Toby was the world’s most hated dog after this incident but it really wasn’t his fault. He was in a new place and already very nervous. He didn’t want to go into the house and he was cold in this strange car. Then a strange person who he doesn’t know picks him up and tries to take him into the house he is scared to go into. He has to save himself before he is taken into the scary house where he thinks bad things may happen to him. He only has one chance to escape and save himself.

How would you feel? He’s a good boy he’s just nervous and needs someone to work with him to get him over his fears. Next time I see him I’ll gently give him a nice belly rub. To be honest ever since this incident I’m a little more timid around any dog bigger than Jared’s parent’s dog Dioji in Washington. Last time I saw him he was just over 5 lbs. :)

I’ll get over it I’m sure. I’ve just learned to be more careful.