My husband Cam and I fell in love with Dobes through the blessing of our very first dog, G retchen. She was a beautiful red girl with natural ears and a heart so big and warm. We got her as a puppy and shared almost 7 glorious years together before we tragically lost her to a brain tumor. It was hard to imagine getting another dog after such a horrific loss, but as time passed and our hearts began to heal, I began searching for local rescue groups in hopes of finding another Dobe to join our little family.

A quick internet search led us to DARE. What an amazing organization! We were immediately impressed and wanted to get approved before we were even ready to begin looking for a new dog. I remember when the DARE volunteer came to our house to do the "home visit". She was Queenie's mom, and she brought Queenie with her. What a tonic for a sad heart! Queenie came right in and sat down as if to say, "Hello there! Want to love on me for a bit?" She leaned into me and let me hug her and love on her for a good long time. It was the first time since Gretchen's death that I truly felt hope! We were approved shortly thereafter and began getting the emails listing the potential adoptables.

We saw a description for a black and tan fellow named Toby, a gentle soul who would probably do best as a solo doggie. He was being fostered by Shannon Grace, and I emailed her soon after reading his description … he seems so potentially perfect for us! I remember I carried that email list around with me with Toby's blurb circled and starred, and I showed it to my friends and family saying, "This might be the one!" We were so excited.

We had planned a vacation to Vegas, and did NOT want to meet any dogs before we returned because we knew we'd fall in love right away. So the evening we returned from Vegas, I called Shannon. YES! Toby was still available, but he was leaving Sterling the next day to go stay with Peggy and her family. Shannon kindly agreed to bring Toby by the next morning for a visit before taking him to Peggy's house. And WOW! We're talking instant LOVE! It was so exciting and wonderful … after he left, Cam and I looked at each other, our eyes shining. We'd found our new pup, Toby the Dobe! After checking in once more to see how Toby was doing with Peggy's Dobes, we were convinced - Toby had to come join our family. Shannon brought over the paperwork and by the next weekend, we had our new guy!

In the beginning, it took some time for Toby to adjust to us. We really think he was grieving for the family he had lost before. While he was very loving and well behaved, he seemed sad and quiet for several weeks. But during this time, we began to see a spark emerge, and he began to "melt", literally! This joyful dog slowly emerged, and we began a beautiful journey together. It is SUCH a gift to see his true personality bloom … he has quite a silly streak in him, and will often sprint about the house, tossing toys into the air and racing back and forth out of sheer joy. He is exceptionally loving and so perfectly behaved … I even take him to work with me once or twice a week, and he's won everyone's hearts there in the office, too. He's ever so adept at "working" a crowd … going from person to person for loving and scratches. He's perfected that Dobe lean, and will stay next to you for as long as you will love on him. He is such a sweetie!

We successfully completed basic obedience at "A Click Above" in Leesburg. And in early October, Toby earned his Canine Good Citizenship! We are so very proud of him! While he is still young, I think he is showing some excellent potential for eventually becoming a therapy dog. So as we continue our path with him, that is an avenue I'll continue to explore with him. I would so love to share his gentle kindess with others. And he would just adore that opportunity, too! So we'll see where our path may lead us.

In the meantime, I am ever so grateful to DARE for the wonderful work they do. We needed Toby just as much as he needed us. He is the most wonderful match and such an incredible companion. DARE helped make the process of discovering and uniting with Toby very smooth and positive. Shannon and Peggy will always be special to us for caring so kindly for Toby before he came to join our family.

So that is our story of Toby the Dobe and how he came to be our boy. I hope that we are blessed with many, many years together!

With endless gratitude,

Cindy Cardimon, Toby's Mommy