Toby & his brother were abandoned by a lake. They were starving & scared.
Toby’s brother got adopted several months later but not Tobie. Toby was lucky enough to be in a good in a Yakima Valley Pet Rescue foster home but he stayed there for many months. Nobody, it seemed, wanted Toby.
He became very interested in the goats at the foster home. Unfortunately, they said he could not be trusted with the goats. “It really was the goats fault,” Toby insisted.
There was talk of maybe having him....gasp.....euthanized. Then Jan Manning gave us the name of a 91 year old woman named Evelyn.
According to Jan, Evelyn Eckstrom has virtually never been without a dog. She is legally blind and lives alone in a small house surrounded by rose bushes and fruit treats, which she manages to prune and harvest all by herself.
Last Fall she lost her companion and guardian of 12 years. Trump was a huge Lab/shepherd mix who had to be euthanized due to cancer. Evelyn was understandably devastated. Trump had slept on her bed every night, and he was always happy to lie at her feet while she listened intently to the Mariner’s games.
Evelyn contacted Jan and told her she wanted another dog. Jan was skeptical as to whether Evelyn was up to the task of starting life with a new dog, but Evelyn insisted she wanted another Lab or Lab mix.
There was a sweet black dog named Toby who was being fostered by a YVPR volunteer. He desperately needed a forever-home, but prospects didn't look good. (Darn Goats!) Somehow the right stars all crossed at the right moment, and Toby was temporarily placed with Evelyn to see how it would work.
With the help of other YVPR volunteers like Lisa Nesvig, the transition was made smooth and the match was made permanent. It was a match made in Heaven. Evelyn and Toby are now a family, and there are no goats where Evelyn and Toby are living happily ever after.
It just goes to show....it's never too late, and you're never too old to fall in love again!
THE END
