Toby or better known Tobalias when he was naughty, was born in Sydney, Australia on Aug 20th 2000.

Toby grew up swimming in the ocean nearly everyday, chasing lizards, snakes or any old ball.  He would run or swim for hours trying to catch just one dragonfly. He was such a sweet, but devious little puppy, all legs and flappy ears.  There was the day we arrived home to find an entire couch completely chewed up – yep foam and feathers everywhere.  Or the day a whole box of dry spaghetti was chewed to tiny pieces from one end of the house to the other.  He was a clever dog and learned many tricks, including bringing his own bowl for dinner, sometimes full of food.  With each minor disaster we were faced with a proud, wagging dog so excited about his hard work we were helpless with laughter rather than anger.

In 2005, Toby made the big 22 hour flight from Sydney to New York.  He nearly tore the door from his crate off at the airport when he heard our voices.  He adapted from lizards and took on chasing squirrels first in Central Park and more recently in Prospect Park. He caught the tail of a squirrel once and the look of surprise on his face was as priceless as his enthusiasm (he let the squirrel go unharmed).   He was spoilt rotten, slept on his own bed and joined us for several vacations — Cape Cod being his favorite.  Toby was a true friend and a sweet sweet adorable dog, who absolutely loved to cuddle especially on the couch with all members of the family.   He was our best friend and we miss him so so very much.

We love you, buddy – rest in peace.

This adorable little pitbull, Walter, was found in Park Slope on Easter Sunday by Alex Darsey. Alex, who lives in the neighborhood, noticed the forlorn pup at 15th Street and Third Avenue. He had an extreme case of mange and was severely malnourished and dehydrated.  And that’s not all, the previous owners (who, according to a witness, dropped Walter out of a car and sped away) had used some chemical – bleach or ammonia – in a “cruel and misguided attempt” to get rid of the disease.  Darsey took the hairless and frightened animal to the emergency room and then the vet.  The vet estimated that Walter is between two- and three-months-old and says that he may get better if treated very carefully.  Alex, along with four of his friends made a pact to watch over Walter.  Currently, he’s still very sick and undergoing in-patient treatment  at the veterinary emergency clinic on Warren Street between Smith and Court Streets.  Alex and friends plan to keep him there until he gets better, but unfortunately, pet medical bills are extremely high at $2000 for just two days.  Walter’s five new parents have started a blog asking for donations to help get him healthy and out of the hospital.  It states, “We wouldn’t want to make a decision about this little guy’s future based on an inability to continue to pay for medical care. We are all doing our best to come up with whatever we can, but our pockets are only so deep.  Though Walter has only been on this earth a few months, he has suffered greatly and had only known a life of pain, neglect, and abuse until he found us. Please help us give Walter a new start and a chance to live the life he deserves, one filled with love, and happiness (and lots of treats!)”  If you’d like to make a donation (any amount will help), you can click here. For more pictures, updates, and to become a fan of Walter please visit his Facebook page.