Toby may have never passed an official therapy dog test, but he has been visiting my mom in her nursing home since the day I brought him home. 

This Mother’s Day was no different. 

My mom, who has had dogs since she was a kid, loves Toby and Toby loves her. The nursing home was literally the first place we took Toby the day I brought him home. He didn’t even have a name yet! 

For a number of years my dad would take him almost every day to my moms. It got to the point when Toby didn’t come, the staff and patients would ask my Dad where he was and if everything was okay. 

Toby usually just curls up on my moms bed and naps. He feels very safe and secure there. People will come in to say hello to her, and him! He has always loved the attention. 

He’ll let them pet and play with him, and if you offer belly rubs, he’ll absolutely take them, too. 

I never took Toby for his therapy dog test, because honestly, I don’t think he would pass. He doesn’t down on command, he could get fussy when a stranger holds him and will usually bark when someone we don’t know approaches me. These are all things he wouldn’t be able to do in order to pass his test. 

But, when enters that nursing home, he is a perfect gentleman. The tail is wagging and he puts in a little show. I’m sure everyone making a fuss over him helped, because he always looks forward to the attention. We would lose count the number of “cute puppies” he would get.

Now when we visit, Toby travels in his harness, because his immune system is compromised because of the chemo. He seems to love it, which is good. 

After our visit Toby was exhausted. He always likes to fall asleep on my lap while we drive, but this time was a bit different. He was really tired and super snuggly. 

At the end of the day, I had a happy Toby and a happy Mom, so that’s all that matters! 

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and all the moms out there! Hope you had a great day.