Cindy’s Dog Toby May be 14 in Dog Years, but He’s All 2-Year-Old

My dog Toby just turned 2-years-old, an age his actions and antics support completely.

They say that one dog year is equivalent to 7 human years. If that's true, then my dog Toby is actually 14-years-old. A teenager, which would make him moody, sullen, and anti-social. In reality, our pitbull-labrador retriever mix is all 2-year-old.

Like a toddler, Toby wants constant attention. In the evening, when my husband Jim and I want to relax and watch TV, Toby is grabbing every toy he can find and flipping them onto our laps, so we'll throw them down the hall. And outside, it's the same. 'Fetch' is his favorite game. Of course, once he gets it, he doesn't just hand it over. Instead, he wants to play Tug...endlessly.

2-year-olds love peanut butter, and so does Toby. Each night, after we finish dinner, he brings one of us his Kong. I mean, he drops it in our laps, sits back, and waits for us to put his peanut butter in it. This happens every single night.

Of course, toddlers never want to go to bed. They'll cry and fuss and try to play, even though they're exhausted. Toby does the same. He'll start whining incessantly until we're telling him to stop, which he doesn't until he finally lays his head down and sleeps.

And, like a child, Toby loves to snuggle. One of his favorite places in the house is on the back of couch, behind my head. He'll lay his head on my shoulder or stretch out behind his father's legs. While he's excellent about being left alone, when we're home he wants to be as close to us as possible.

Now that I think about it, the only part of Toby's personality that suggests teenager is his endless appetite. Oh, and his interest in the two pretty blonde females who live next door. Life is never boring with Toby around, and we feel very blessed by that.