Special DAWS Pet of the Week: Toby

Editor's Note: This information was compiled from the DAWS website, daws.org and was originally written by Melissa Sader.

Tomorrow night, DAWS is looking to raise enough money to make a difference in one dog's life.

Toby, a 4-year-old Shepherd mix, has been at DAWS since April 2008, after he was rescued from an open-admission, kill shelter in Ohio. Though Toby was adopted within a few weeks of arriving at the shelter, but it wasn’t long before DAWS was contacted by the adopters saying Toby was beginning to display inappropriate behavior.

When Toby was returned, he was re-evaluated and found to have developed serious behavioral issues, including biting out of a sense of fear and feelings of anxiety. Toby was placed on a restricted list, where only the most experienced volunteers could work on his training and socialization. For everyone’s safety, it was also decided that Toby should be muzzled when outside of his run. These new behavior issues also meant that any prospective adopter would have to meet specific criteria for managing a special needs dog. In the three years that Toby has been back at DAWS, no one has come along.

Toby has shown increased signs of anxiety, stress and aggression. He has been evaluated by veterinary and behavioral specialists and their prescribed treatments, including anti-anxiety medications, were administered but the improvement was not as expected. Through training with DAWS’ most experienced volunteers, Toby has mastered commands including heel, sit, stay, down, down, recall and finish. However, as seen in the short video within this article, Toby’s kennel anxiety manifests itself as a compulsive spinning behavior.

When she realized that Toby’s future was most likely not going to be in an adoptive home, DAWS Volunteer Lynn Alexander spent six months researching and contacting animal sanctuaries to find one that could take Toby. Her search led her to Spirit Animal Sanctuary (SAS), a nonprofit organization that is a “no kill - home for life for dogs” located in Boonville, N.Y.

SAS founder and experienced dog trainer Alan Papszycki replied to Lynn’s inquiry and told her the good news - that Toby could have a home for life at his sanctuary. Once in SAS’ care, the animals receive veterinary care, have contact with Alan and other SAS volunteers, and are introduced into packs to have contact with other dogs. To cover the expenses of Toby’s lifetime care, SAS requires a minimum of $5,000.

On its website, DAWS said: "Some may ask why DAWS is raising this amount of money to help one animal when there are so many others in need. As a limited admission, no-kill shelter, DAWS is committed to caring for each animal admitted to the shelter. In the case of extreme aggression and illness, and because we must always keep the safety of volunteers, staff, the public, and the other dogs in mind, there is a process in place for evaluating the animal and determining if euthanasia is the best course of action. It is our greatest hope that we can avoid this process for Toby."

As of Sept. 22, DAWS has collected $2,840 in donations to help Toby get to SAS. To help reach the $5,000 goal, everyone is invited to a special fundraising event in partnership with in downtown Danbury on Wednesday, Sept. 28. It’s called "Tips for Toby" and, on that Wednesday evening from 6-9 p.m., Two Steps will donate 10 percent of your bar and dinner bills, plus 100 percent of the bartender tips, to benefit DAWS’ Making a Difference for Toby Fund.

When you join us at the event, you’ll see lots of photos of Toby and will meet others who believe in this cause. DAWS board member and former training director Bruce Caplin of 10-Minute Dog will be the event's guest bartender. Bruce will be pouring your drinks and encouraging you to put tips in the jar to help fund Toby’s lifetime of care at SAS.