Toby's story

The beginning

"His real birthday is a guess. A vet looked him over, estimated October, and that became his day."

Toby's life started about as hard as it can for a dog. He was abandoned in the backwoods of Mississippi as a tiny puppy, along with his mother and one sister. A kind stranger found the three of them and took them in, but couldn't keep them. They went to Mercer Animal Rescue, which finds homes up north for dogs from the rural South.

While he waited for a family, Toby lived on the farm where the rescue's founder lived, a quiet place with room to just be a puppy. His mom and his sister were both adopted before anyone came for him.

From scared to brave

To help him feel safe in the world, Diana started training with him, patient and reward based, never forceful. Confidence came slowly, and then all at once. The dog who once hid behind the couch began to lead the way up trails.

Today Toby hikes, scrambles, skis, and paddleboards across the Pacific Northwest. He has stood on summits, swum in alpine lakes, and found snow in every month of the year. The fear never fully defined him. It just gave him further to climb.

Have paws, will travel

A dog who's seen the country

Toby is a seasoned traveler. He has explored over half of the United States and several Canadian provinces, by car, on trail, and in the cabin on more flights than most people take in a year.

New places don't rattle him. A national park, a dog-friendly hotel, a city he has never smelled before, Toby settles in quickly and makes himself at home. For us, the best adventures are rarely the ones closest to home.