Saturday marked one year with lymphoma for Toby. For a dog that they told me had 24 hours to maybe four months to live, I think he has done pretty well. Especially noteworthy is the fact his quality of life has been good throughout. 

I honestly cannot complain. I know how lucky we are. 

Although we didn’t get to do some crazy bucket-list trip, I think he has had a good year and has gotten to do things he really enjoys within reason. 

Once he was done with chemo the first time and his immune system was back to normal, our first jaunt was to the dog beach  in Lake George. He doesn’t exactly love the water, but he loves the beach, and sunshine. We of course followed that by a sip of beer at his favorite brewery. 

And, of course we went kayaking, because that is an absolutely favorite of Toby’s. 

I wasn’t, and am still not sure how much time Toby has with us, so I try to live, within reason, like it’s his last day with us. 

We played at the dog park, hiked local trails and enjoyed sunsets on the beach as much as we could. 

We took day trips to Vermont and Lake Placid, where he went as close to the summit as possible, and played in a little snow while becoming a “little dog on the mountain” attraction as people walked past him and Maddux. 

We built a snowman during a crazy early fall snowstorm. 

We celebrated Thanksgiving, his birthday, Christmas, New Years and his gotcha day! And, Easter. 

And, we’ve done a lot of snuggling. A lot of snuggleing. 

Of course there were ups and downs, but I am so happy to still have him with us. He’s a special little dog and I hope I am making him happy.