When Charmaine and her husband adopted Toby, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, they figured he might need some adjusting time, but they certainly didn’t think he’d be a holy terror, beset by severe anxiety and destructive behavior that would take a miracle to curb. Turns out, Toby routinely opened and emptied closets, turned on water taps, and pulled things from the bookshelves. Oddest of all was his penchant for locking himself in the bathroom, and then push the lid of the toilet tank onto the floor, smashing it to pieces. After a particularly disastrous encounter with the knife-block in the kitchen—and when the couple discovered Toby’s blood and paw prints on the phone—Charmaine decided Toby needed professional help.
Little did she know what they would discover about this dog. And how he would change their lives.
Follow Team Toby on their Million Acts of Kindness Tour, a six week, 10,000 mile kindness mission road trip in a camper across North America stopping in communities to provide presentations to workplaces and schools, and to participate in acts of kindness.Charmaine and Toby Sr., and their new Toby, have presented to more than 30,000 students across North America, raised more than $10,000 for charities, and have donated books and presentations to schools and organizations to support healthy character development in children.
Toby the Pet Therapy Dog and His Hospital Friends (A CHILDREN’S DOG STORY)
Toby is a big, brown, happy dog. Every week his owner takes him to visit and comfort children who are in the hospital. Follow Toby the service dog for a day and see how he makes friends, and makes others happy. Beautifully illustrated, this simple story sends a positive message about community and the importance of kindness and being helpful to others.
Toby the Pet Therapy Dog says be a Buddy, not a Bully
When Toby steps into the path of a dog who bullies him, and shreds his beloved stuffed teddy-bear toy, we see the hurt feelings it creates. This beautifully illustrated book teaches children about the importance of kindness, acceptance, and being considerate of others, including pets. A wonderful story to start discussions in ages 3 to 10.
About Charmaine Hammond
Charmaine Hammond is an international transformational speaker (has spoken to more than 75,000 people around the globe), helping build inspired and resilient teams. She speaks on the topics of resilience, Bouncing Forward, and courageous dialogue.Together,
She is also a #1 international best selling and award winning author of dog book On Toby’s Terms, (Bettie Youngs Books), Toby The Pet Therapy Dog & His Hospital Friends, and Toby The Pet Therapy Dog Says Be a Buddy Not a Bully. Her children’s books are A Mom’s Choice Awards Recipient, and also received the Parent Tested Parent Approved Award, and gold in the Global eBook award. She is co-author of wildly popular new book, GPS Your Best Life-charting your destination and getting there in style. Charmaine was the winner of the 2012 Business Matchmaker of the Year award, an international award (eWomenNetwork)and the Outstanding Alumni Award. On Toby’s Terms won a GOLD in the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards.
Her book On Toby’s Terms is currently in development to become a major motion picture! She has been featured in the Metro USA, Metro Canada, Edmonton Journal, Edmonton and Spruce Grove Examiner, Calgary and Edmonton Sun, Del Mar Times, National Post, Global TV, CTSTV, Alberta Prime Time (CTV) and on many radio stations in the US and Canada.
Meet Toby Snr
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| A. Wells Photography |
In an effort to get Toby’s behaviour under control, a K9 behaviourist worked with Toby on his behavioural issues and stated that Toby was a dog who needed a job, a purpose. Christopher and Charmaine found Toby a job as an Animal Assisted Therapy dog. After training and testing, Toby was approved as a volunteer with Chimo Animal Assisted Therapy and received a volunteer placement at an adult mental health hospital.
Wednesdays with Toby were life changing for the patients he visited, as well as for Charmaine and Christopher. While Toby was bringing unconditional acceptance and happiness to those he visited at the hospital, he was also becoming a teacher for Charmaine and Christopher, teaching them powerful life lessons, about patience, purpose, persistence, the power of unconditional acceptance, and showing up as your authentic self.
The patients that Toby worked with at the hospital and all of the children that he met in schools experienced the benefits of a therapy dog’s whose mission in life was to leave pawprints on hearts everywhere he went x
Toby Snr and Jnr even have their own Facebook and Twitter page too!!
Follow the book tour
I love reading non-fiction as much as I love reading fiction. To follow Toby’s journey through Charmaine’s eyes made this a special memoir.
Bringing a new personality into a family, regardless of how small or how large that family is or whether the new personality is a human or an animal, takes adjustment. Having birthed six children, I know that expecting the unexpected is the only way to go into putting a new personality in a family.
When you bring a new animal into the family, you need to consider all the previous owners. As with our two legged children, our four legged children are influenced by their homes and environments. Without knowing what an animal went through with its first family, you are playing a game with no winner.
Charmaine and Chris learn many life lessons from Toby as they adapt to his presence in their family. He may not be able to talk but he makes his fears and anxieties known in other ways. How Charmaine and Chris react to these methods helps them not only become better parents to Toby but also helps them strengthen their relationship with each other.
Whether you have children or dogs or both at home, you should read about Toby, Charmaine and Chris’s journey(s) to becoming a family.
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Nicki's Nook 
Such an amazing story that I will never tire of reading again and again xx