Our Boy: A Series of Tickly Tales

To say we are a family of dog lovers would be the understatement of the century. In fact if I were to sum my Dad up in any two words, it would be "dog lover". Toffee joined our family on 11th July, 2009 and he has brought us nothing but joy. Well that would be a lie; he has brought us joy and craziness and hard work and drool and many other things, but he has most definitely brought us joy and love, lots of love. This was the first photo I ever saw of him (courtesy of Nissa Bella Farm); the breeder sent it to us before we met Toffee and I just knew he was for us. I think it may have been his cone head or the fact that his ears were sunshine yellow.

These following two photos are courtesy of the breeder.

Toffee has the most beautiful face in the world. So much so that I have "squeeze to death" urges that have to be repressed every time I look at him. His nose is like that of a teddy bear or a dark chocolate button, except his is a much more unique version; it's charcoal black around the edges with a sweet little splash of pink in the middle. His coat is a delicious shade of sunshine and toffee (hence the name of course) and he has a splendid tufty patch of hair on his chest; it's a lovely cross between a beard and a lion's mane. All other photos are by me of course and you can click on them to enlarge!

Here you can see the splash of pink on his nose!

Our handsome boy has the most lovely floppy ears. When he's calm and looking for cuddles, they flop back and when he suddenly hears a sound they perk up in a most assertive manner, followed by a swift tilt of his head and a puzzled look on his face, as if to say 'huh'?

Huh?

I love his paws!

Oh and did I mention he has the longest doggie tongue known to man. It's so long you could probably use it as a leash when walking him. 

Samuel grabbed this shot!

Samuel got this one too!

He has lots of flabby skin around his mouth which tends to collect his ever mounting supply of drool. Often his drool will dangle from the side of his mouth like chewing gum; as he prances around, it tends to sway about in a most amusing fashion. Random fact: Samuel has found that if you push all the loose skin forwards on his face, he resembles a shar pei. 

Toffee likes to smile, especially when you give him a back rub. However, his smile tends to leave him looking somewhat hyena like, see below.

When Toffee first joined the family he had a bit of a doggie poo obsession (refrain from reading if you're squeamish). I remember one day I was inside sitting on the sofa when Toffee charges in from outside to sit next to me for a cuddle. He goes in to kiss me when all of a sudden I am repulsed by a most disgusting waft of doggie poo smell emanating from Toffee's mouth. I realized then and there what he had just been snacking on...suffice to say he got no kisses!

Samuel and Toffee are very close, this picture makes me think of a "Wish You Were Here" postcard.

Toffee once ate a dead bird, whole. We were worried he would be ill until the next day he pooped out the bird, feathers and all (yes really)...

Toffee burps ALL of the time. He drinks then burps, eats then burps, oh and burps for no reason. 

He loves the beach!

My Mum is currently training Toffee with a professional trainer and I have to say, what a genius dog we have. I actually think he could be a Mensa candidate. He knows hand signals and verbal commands for sit, lay down, jump up high, paw, roll over, through your legs, jump on the box, leave, stay, and many more. Did I mention he could be a Mensa candidate? 

Toffee likes to watch TV, but not just any TV, he likes the Dog Whisperer. Yes that's right. (This photo is courtesy of my Mum, thanks!)

This photo is courtesy of my Dad!

Toffee really is the light of our lives; I don't think it's possible to put into words how much we love him. But I can't mention Toffee without remembering our lovely two doggies Brandy and Patch who we lost last year. We loved them dearly. 

As I always leave a recipe at the end of my posts, here is one for dogs! This is a Doggy Cake recipe courtesy of our trainer. It's also suitable for cats. In this case, please don't taste for seasoning...

Yummy Cake for Dogs and Cats

Recipe from Victoria our trainer

450g of Bacon/Tuna/Chicken (make sure there are no bones)

2 eggs

1 whole garlic clove

340g self raising flour

280ml water

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and using a food processor or blender mix the meat, garlic, and eggs together.

2. Next mix in the flour and then mix in the water.

3. Line a baking tin with butter and grease proof paper and fill the tin with the mixture.

4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until cooked (I doubt your dog or cat will notice if it's overcooked). Leave cake to cool.

5. Once cooled, slice the cake into cubes and use as treats for training or whenever you want to give your dog a treat.

You can freeze the cake if you have left overs!

Thanks for reading, feel free to share any comments or stories about your pets.

xx