E. M. Bordwin

Toby came to live with me shortly after he turned two after having been bounced around four different homes. His first home was a happy one, but he only lived there briefly before he went to live with the couple he refers to as "those-bad-people-who-never-liked-me-I-don't-know-why." (As you will notice from his Tales, Toby likes to hyphenate.) Later on, he was unceremoniously dumped at the Connecticut Husky Rescue Shelter. He was in very bad shape, having been severely beaten by people who only fed him once in a while. The woman who ran the Shelter took one look at Toby and immediately called her friend Rick, a well-known Husky person around town, who came by, picked him up brought him home. Rick and his wife, Debbie, fostered Toby, aided and abetted by their own two Huskies, Ginger and Bandit. Bandit, especially, showed a great interest in his new buddy, taking him under his wing and teaching him all the tricks of his house.

Toby did extremely well under Debbie and Rick's care, slowly gaining weight and even more slowly beginning to consider the possibility of learning to trust again, if only a little. Debbie and Rick soon came to love Toby – from the start, they knew that he was a great dog, and if they were patient, Toby would once again be the joyous creature he was born to be. At the same time, they knew that he was so damaged that he needed to be top dog in his forever home, which they realized could not be theirs. Debbie and Rick loved Toby enough to make the wrenchingly difficult decision to let him go – to let me adopt him. And as we set off for his forever home, I promised Toby what I promise every animal who comes into my life: I will give you the happiest and healthiest life possible.

www.tobys-tale.com

About E.M. Bordwin

E.M. Bordwin grew up with animals from a very young age. In fact, family lore has it that until the age of four, she wasn't sure if she was canine or human. At age five, she had her first riding lesson which added to the expanding list of species she adored. Over time, birds, rabbits, hamsters and a turtle joined the menagerie.

At age eight, she established a pet cemetery in the backyard of her family's home. Word spread quickly throughout the neighborhood, and soon children began showing up with half a frog, a baby chick that had fallen from its nest, lots of deceased goldfish, the occasional garter snake, and squirrels that had been squished by passing cars. Oh, and once, a beloved gerbil that had passed in his sleep. Each time, she would lead a solemn ceremony, generally with a shoebox serving as a coffin and after the appropriately solemn burial, she would place a large rock over the fresh grave, marking the gravestone with a marking pen from her school bag.

As she grew older, riding played an increasingly important part in Bordwin's life. More often than not, when her parents went to check in on her at night, her bed would be empty. One or the other would go out to the barn and head straight to her pony's stall where they would find him laying down with their little daughter curled up right next to him, head resting on his shoulder, sound asleep.

It was around this time that her mother took in the family's first Husky from a rescue shelter. His name was Nanook and he had survived horrific abuse. During the first few months living with his new family, he cowered in corners and was frightened of just about everything and everyone. By watching her mother patiently and gently show this injured creature that some people could be trusted, Bordwin – and the entire family – learned how to take in a terrified traumatized creature and, with much love and patience – often lots of patience – restore him to being the joyful carefree dog he was meant to be. It wasn't long before there were three Huskies in the family.

After Bordwin grew up, left home and went off to college, she got married. Her mother's wedding gift to her was a Husky named Louie. Huskies are extremely gregarious creatures, open and eager to make new friends – canine and human – wherever they go. Sometimes too eager, which gets them into all kinds of jams. But since Huskies are probably the most contrarian breed of dogs on the planet, Louie chose to be a one-person dog; he chose the newly-minted bride's husband.

After Bordwin's beloved Louie crossed the Rainbow Bridge, she began to take in abused rescue Huskies of her own and rehab them by restoring their faith in themselves and building their confidence. She was helping them to learn to trust again. The ultimate goal was always to return them to where they should have been in the first place; a place where they were free to romp and play and even to get into mischief, secure in the knowledge that the worst outcome would be a stern talking to.

Rehabbing any abused animal is arduous work which requires a lot of patience and understanding as well as the ability to "read" the animal; to figure out what will have a positive effect and what might lead to regressive behaviors. In short, Bordwin spent many years watching her mother restore these hurt and damaged creatures to a place of joy and confidence; to the place where they should have been all

And then came Toby, who had suffered the worst case of abuse Bordwin had ever encountered. When he arrived at Connecticut Husky Rescue, he weighed less than thirty pounds (normal weight for a healthy full-grown Husky male is between 45 – 60 pounds). Additionally, he suffered from epilepsy due to the beatings to which he had been subjected.

At age two, Toby moved into a loving foster home where he lived with two great people – Debbie and Rick – and their two also great Huskies – Ginger and Bandit. A mutual love society was instantly formed, but it soon became clear that for Toby to recover and thrive, he would need to be top-dog – the only dog in a home with an experienced stay-at-home Husky person. Bordwin had recently left a "real world" job as a hi tech writer/translator in order to free-lance from home, which enabled her to see Toby through the long arduous path to a happy life.

www.tobys-tale.com