Toby, March 8, 2004, "Mutt-butt, Bud, Dog-head, Dooter-head, and the original Noodle-head":
This little mutt-butt came to me as a sort-of graduation present. When I was on my way home with all of my earthly possessions packed into my Dad's truck from Laurier after finishing my last exam we stopped in Cambridge for some Timmies and to call my Mum from *gasp* a pay phone! When I was on the phone with her she told me that she saw an ad for Pug cross Boston Terrier puppies and was going to get me one. I was SO excited! Now, every time we drive past that pay phone on the way to or from Brantford I point it out to Matt.
Toby was the cutest little puppy of the litter of 8 and had such a cute little pot-belly. Initially I was looking at another little pup, but Toby came right to me and was quite the little snuggler! We got to meet who we were told was Toby's Dad - a HUGE Boston Terrier...but we have since decided that the lady who we got Toby from must have been delusional as he is clearly a Pug, Beagle cross! A Puggle if you will! Toby came home with us in May of 2004.
When Toby first came home we were living at my parents house for the summer so he got LOTS of attention and loved every minute of it! I wanted to crate train him, but I couldn't stand his whimpers and gave in to letting him sleep in bed with us "just this once" and he has been there ever since (I seem to have taken a similar approach with Sloan! oops!).
We moved to Waterloo in September of 2004 and Toby and Matt and I had our first real home together. We lived in the top story of an old house which had a horrible set of outside steps to get to our door. They decided to replace these steps for us shortly after we moved in and we only had a ladder to access our apartment for a little over a week....so Toby had to take all of his trips in and out of the house under an arm while we climbed the ladder...SO safe! haha Toby didn't take the move too well, he was used to lots of attention and was suddenly home alone a lot more. He ate a hole in our area rug, tore open the backs of our couch and chair, ate the heal off my new leather boot and tried to dig his way out of the front door! He grew out of this chewing phase though and quickly became a well behaved little buddy!
We made two more moves while we were in K/W, each time choosing a place with a park near by for Toby. He adjusted much better with these moves.
Finally in September of 2007 we bought Toby his first house. The main thing we were looking for in a house was a big fenced yard for Toby to have! He has escaped a few times, but for the most part he loves his yard!
Toby had another big adjustment to tackle when Sloan came home...and so far he is just ignoring her. We're hoping that they become best of friends once Sloan is on the move and can actually play with him, but for now, he just acts like he would prefer if she just went back to where ever sh came from!
Bane, November 2, 2007 , "Bane-er (said in a very high-pitched voice), Crazy-Kitty":
I have never been a cat person, so getting a cat was a big deal for me. Matt was the one that really wanted a cat, which surprises most people. I don't have as much of a story for Bane, since he seems to act toward me, the way Toby acts to Sloan...unless he want more food!
I found Bane online through petfinder and we adopted him from the local humane society. I thought if we were going to get a cat, I wanted a big fluffy flat-nosed one, but couldn't fathom the idea of spending hundreds of dollars on a cat, so I opted for the $50 adoption fee...oh, and the idea of saving a cat seemed like a good idea. I thought Bane looked pretty cute and he was described as polydactyl - he has thumbs! Bane came home with us in February of '08.
Bane was a pretty cute kitten, and I warmed up to the idea of having a cat. It helped that Matt had agreed to change the litter box EVERY time since a cat was his idea! Matt changed the first litter box and put on the most dramatic acting job I'm surprised we don't have an Oscar sitting on our mantle (actually we don't even have a mantle...). There was coughing and gagging and a drywall mask and all. After that I pretty much had to take over the litter box duties! I took advantage of the rumour that you can't be near a litter box when you're pregnant and Matt braved the box for a whole 9 months! I think the first thing he said to me when we got home with Sloan was that it was my turn to change the box! lol
Our $50 cat soon became our $580 cat when Bane got a bad bladder infection and had to stay the night at the vets office and have some testing done. He is now on a diet to keep future bladder infections away. I keep telling him he really owes me now!Bane has only ever known this house and I'm a little worried about what he will be like when we inevitably move. He doesn't do well with change! Toby is quite the guard dog and barks every time someone comes into our driveway, which is Bane's cue to RUN downstairs and hide under the bed.
Surprisingly, Bane has taken to Sloan more than Toby. He comes to sniff her head every time I nurse her and often comes to look at her when she is crying. It's actually pretty cute!
So there we go....I think that pretty much brings you up to speed with the non-hairless members of the fam!
And now, here are Toby & Bane's baby pictures:
Toby looking teeny-tiny in Matt's arms:
Smaller than a work boot!
Toby discovering his new little brother:
Little fluff-head! This pic shows off Bane's extra toes nicely!
She looked so tiny in the big white bed!