Hola guapas! It is I, Toby - your favourite Bodeguero! Am I not lo mas adorable little Spanish hombre you have ever seen? So yesterday I got to go to the big city for the first time. Aye, aye, aye...let me tell you, my guapas, what an adventure! Foster lady took me to the huge metropolis (thank you again, Google Translate) of Cádiz. There was a big cathedral (that's it behind me there) and SO MANY HUMANS! And the smells of so many humans! Here I am smelling a man who had a cart all full of yummy food. Ooooo, I had to bark at some of the humans, just in case they got too close to my foster lady. Because I am an old-fashioned gentleman like that. And because I like to hear the sound of my own bark. When you are sexy, you must share it. Am I right? Cadiz also has lo mas amazing invention ever: flying rats! No, no, I do not kid you. They are rats, but they have wings and FLY! So when I chase them and bark at them in my beautiful voice, they BURST into the air and flap about! I can die now, I am so happy to have discovered these creatures made just for your Toby. It is too much for my sensitive heart! Oh, we have no pictures of me chasing these wonderful beings because my foster lady cannot operate the camera and help me chase flying rats at the same time. Que lastima! Obviously she needs mas practice. Pobracita! Where was I? Oh, Cadiz. Did you know Cadiz is surrounded by nearly all sides by water and only connected by a skinny little bit of land? We were in the "Casco antiguo" which is just a fancy way of saying the old and crumbly bit of town. You can walk around all the walls of the whole town. This bit here had a sad lack of flying rats (the tourist board really needs to fix that) but there is the colourful waterfront. Humans like that. Do you know this part of Cadiz is used as a stand in for Havana, Cuba in lots of movies? No? You don't care? I don't either, but foster lady thinks this is impressive. Movies? Can I hunt it? Can I eat it? No and no. I do not care. But I like foster lady, so I humour her. What IS muy divertido (very much fun) is that the walls are low enough for me to look over them all by myself. Which is much much less embarrassing that being picked up to be shown the view. Vale, the picking up isn't that bad, but then before she puts me down she gives me a kiss. Dios mio! I am an elegant caballero with a reputation to keep... please do not kiss me in public. Wait, what was I saying? Oh, the walls... So there I was, having lots of fun, when we went out to a little island in the bay with a fort. It was a VERY windy day so there was lots of water splashing over, which was a little scary. But I live for the adventure (and the ladies), so I was ready! But what happened? The horror. Worse than the black slobbery beast! Germans! On bicycles! I hate bicycles...the are the diabolo. Or they are made by the devil! And Germans! Aye, aye, aye!!! I bark and bark and try to bite their tires but they just ding their stupid little devil bells and there are 20 of them and only one of me and.....dios mio....my head just exploded and....pant, pant, pant. Aaaaooooo.....ooooo.... hmmmm?? Is that a belly rub I am getting? While watching murderous bicycles go by? Tummy...oh my little belly...oh, that is nice. Oh, belly rubs come at the same time as bicycles? Where else can we go to find bicycles? No...wait...I HATE bicycles! I HATE Germans! but I love belly rubs... Oh, I give up...bicycles are not the diabolo. They are just mildly irritating. I might even like Germans. We finished off our walk around the fortified (thanks Google Translate) walls. We met lots of other dogs and as I am so excellent with the ladies, most of them were charmed by me and my amazingly guapo looks. I do not blame them - I also find myself irresistible. By the time we got to the end of the walk at the oldest part of the fort, I was feeling a little tired. Which meant I was still chasing the sea birds and flying rats, but not barking at them. Foster lady calls this a "win". I do not know what she means. Everything I do is a "win", is it not? It was a good day in Cadiz and now I'm ready for my big cat test tomorrow. Wish me luck, all my guapas! And I hope you enjoyed your Toby tour of old town Cadiz. Oooo.... was that a flying rat? I must go now! A Bodeguero's work is never done! Hasta luego my lovely ladies (and gentlemen)!
Toby you certainly do have some wonderful adventures with your foster mama and I thank you for sharing your tour with us, you would make a great tour guide! You did very well with everything you encountered, what a good boy. Be good with the cats tomorrow - PLEASE xx
Great job Toby! We are gonna miss you if your foster lady does her job right Good luck with da pussy cats..... meow!
Love Love LOOOOOOOVE!!!!!!! Oh my word, Emily, you are a brilliant writer and story teller. Good luck with the cat test!
Toby, you are fabulous. And your foster mom ain't half bad either....give her lots of slobbery kisses tonight, ok?
Ah Emily I've been away for a while whilst I've had lots of visitors staying so I've read this whole thread in one go.....oh I've laughed ,I've cried ...what a little character .For some reason I couldn't see the earlier photos ,the video on the bed was the first I saw him and the the lovely ones of your trip to Cadiz.No wonder you've lost 10kgs whilst you've been in his company ...he sounds a little live wire.I'm tears thinking of him leaving you but I'm crossing everything for his cat test and that his new family really appreciate how special he is.These dogs and the lives they lead,truly astonishing .Well done you and thanks for such a brilliant thread xxx
Mmm...that's strange as they are still showing up when I have a look. But I have posted a LOT of photos on this thread - maybe I blew a gasket somewhere in the system! Thank you! We need all the crossing of everything! He's had a two hour run this morning, I've just fed him what seemed like half a pound of chicken and we'll do that "rinse and repeat" style one more time before his test. My theory is exhaustion + full belly = kitty doesn't look like an exciting meal. And thank you for the other nice words - I'm glad his story made you smile!