Toby the Dobie

I wanted to share some sad news with those who knew the Aiken family dog, Toby.
He was diagnosed with bone cancer last month and was such a brave fighter. This past Saturday, he passed away & was laid to rest at the Aiken home.

He was a huge part of our family and I know that many of our friends loved him so much, including Murphy & Cooper Marando who loved playing with him. Our extended family loved him as well & running downstairs to greet Toby was often their first stop when anyone would visit from out of town. His full name was October because he was brought home to live with us in October, but it was decided that he would be called “Toby” …or as our Dad often referred to him as, “Toby the Dobie.” His birthday was September 3rd and it is special that he shares a Birthday with the newest addition to our family, Laney Marando. He celebrated his 10th Birthday this year.
The first time I held him on the first day he was brought home, he lifted his little puppy leg and peed on me. I’d like to think that was an act of love.

When he was first living with us as a pup, his main living quarters was in the recording studio downstairs. I remember him crying one night and I couldn’t resist going to check on him. I held him until he fell asleep. I remember that being our first real bonding time. He always slept with a night light, even at the age of 10.

Toby was a loyal, trusting, sweet spirited dog with the most tender personality. He wasn’t your typical doberman. Tobes (another nickname) loved to lean on your legs just to feel close to you. He started doing that as a puppy. He loved chewing on big sticks, sun bathing on our brick driveway or deck, and going on adventures in the woods.

Toby was a handsome dog. His ears were as soft as the velveteen rabbit, his coat shined beautifully, his eyes were kind, & his stance was tall & proud. Most of all, he was a lover of people. He loved being with our family and being in the company of people in general…and we loved being with him.

It was neat to watch my Mom fall in love with Toby, too. She was never as excited about dogs as my Dad, but this one was different. I knew she loved him when she pet him and talked to him.

My brother and sister-in-law Ashley were very loyal to giving him bones & treats. They loved bringing their dogs over to play with Toby every once in a while. Toby loved the massages Ash would give him. Karen, Aaron, Christy & Doug always had a Christmas present for him, which usually involved a yummy treat. This past year when I was living at home, I started giving Toby a treat every time I left the house because I felt bad for leaving him.

I have good memories of watching Christy running around in circles downstairs around the couches, getting Toby to chase her. We loved getting him all wound up. It was almost a goal of ours to get him to bark because he usually didn’t. That wasn’t in his nature until he started spending more time Karen’s pups, Murphy & Cooper. We loved watching the 3 of them play together. It was so cute when he started to bark, because he almost seemed afraid to do it.

He was a best friend to my Dad. Wherever my Dad was, Toby was proudly & happily close by his side. You always knew when my Dad was pulling in the driveway from work, because Toby would start making his excited noises and could barely contain himself. He was always so excited to see our Dad or anyone in our family after we returned from being gone for any amount of time. He loved watching Steelers games with everyone and was my Dad’s number one TV hang out buddy. Anytime anyone was watching a movie or TV, Toby was always excited to join. He also loved to lay in the garage to watch my Dad work on a variety of projects. I always loved looking out the window and seeing that…it was almost as if Toby wanted to help out. He helped to support my Dad through one of the hardest seasons in his life. When he injured his hand, endured surgeries, painful physical therapy, and a change of pace, Toby was by his side through it all. He was so good at keeping us company. He knew when we were happy and he knew when we were sad.

I am so thankful that we were all able to be together with him over Thanksgiving.
This past Thursday night, I went to my parent’s house and spent some time with Toby before leaving for Philly on Friday morning. I held him in my arms, cried with him & and told him how much I loved him. I thanked him for being a loyal part of our family & a dear friend to all of us. I am thankful for that time with him, and for the last ten years of memories that I’ll carry with me. I know that for now the tears will be frequent and the house will be too quiet. We love you Toby. I would like to think that I’ll see you again someday. We miss you. Thank you for loving us, October.

Rest easy, buddy. We love you.