Listen carefully to my bark and you’ll hear what I’m actually saying: “Top of the morning to you!” That’s my favorite greeting, given that I’m originally from Limerick County, Ireland. When I came to live with my Menlo Park family—Nick, Alex, Luke, Rebecca and Cal—they called me Toby because they thought it sounded like a fitting name for an Irish-born Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. That was back in 2017. I’ve always been snuggly, but in 2020, I started hearing myself described as an unofficial “emotional support pup.” Everyone seemed to be home a lot that year, and I was ever so happy to sit on a warm lap and binge-watch Netflix shows for hours. (Extra bonus: Rebecca would scratch my belly at the same time.) My other favorite pastimes are chasing (but never catching) squirrels and playing with my best friend Bodie, who’s an Australian shepherd—except when he steals my toys. Although I have a comfy dog pad, at night, I “army-crawl” my way under the big bed when it’s time to sleep. My family can’t quite understand this habit, but you see, I’m always putting their comfort first. I actually snore quite loudly so when I’m tucked up tight like that, I’m not as likely to keep them awake. That guarantees that when I woof, ‘Top of the morning to you!’ to start a new day, I’m always met by a happy smile.
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