Toby Book

Here is the next portion of my book about Toby. 

Chapter 11

     Although some might not think of this as an unusual behavior, Toby was a dog who liked a routine.  This was certainly true when it came to taking his medicine in the morning.  As I said early, Toby had to take medication every day of his life because of his ulcerative colitis and other ailments.  Each morning, we would put his pills in a cheese ball.  He loved cheese and would gobble his cheese and pills right down.  However, he wanted his cheese ball placed in a certain place.  Toby would not eat his cheese ball if you placed it in his food dish.  You had to put the cheese ball outside of the dish, or he wouldn't eat it.  He also wouldn't take the cheese ball out of your hand.  He wanted the cheese ball placed on the floor.  I don't know why.
    Another quirky behavior that Toby had was his reaction to the phrase, "It's coming".  One day we were watching a movie on television and someone on screen said, "It's coming."  Toby bolted awake and started barking his head off.  He did the same thing later in the movie.  I could set Toby off barking anytime by saying these two words.  I don't know what "it" was, but Toby didn't like it especially when it was coming.
    One of the other things I got a kick out of was Toby's funny noise that he would make.  Toby could make a noise in his throat that was like a yodel and bark and a tongue roll at the same time.  It was loud, too.  He'd only make this sound if you asked him a question.  It was like he could understand exactly what we were saying.  One time, Dad was talking to some people about the county commissioner candidates.  I said to Toby, "You don't think that guy would be any good do you?"  Toby looked at me and made his crazy noise and everybody cracked up.  Toby was right.  That candidate won, and he was a lousy commissioner. 
    The two other behaviors I want to mention in this chapter involve food.  At least two Sundays a month, Mom would make her delicious chicken and noodles for dinner. She had a special pot she used just for making chicken and noodles and vegetable soup.  When she would get the pot out to make vegetable soup, Toby didn't even notice.  But on the days when Mom was making chicken and noodles he would race into the kitchen and stare up at the pot waiting for some of the chicken Mom always gave him.  How he knew it was time for noodles and not vegetable soup, I don't know.  My Mom would say to Toby, "Toby, there's no use waiting there, the chicken won't be ready for awhile so just go away."  Toby would go and do something else, but the minute that that chicken was ready, he was back waiting.  Toby loved chicken more than any other food in the world.
     Toby also knew each morning when breakfast was ready.  He would wake me up for breakfast just as Mom was done fixing everything.  I have to give my Mom credit.  Even though she worked every day, she always got up and made everyone a nice breakfast.  She was an outstanding cook and a wonderful person.  Well, Toby wouldn't let anyone in my room when I was asleep, so I was glad that he was looking out for me so that I got my breakfast in the morning.  This is the only time he got me up when I was asleep is when breakfast was ready.  If Toby had to go out to the bathroom in the middle of the night, he would go into my parents room and get one of them up to take him out.  My Mom told him to get me up to take him out many times, but he wouldn't do it.