Toby goes to bed at 10 o’clock sharp every night otherwise he gets irritable. Toby sleeps on the bed always. Toby is too old to jump up on to the bed, so the bedroom footstool should be placed next to the bed to help him to climb up. He is also allowed up on the furniture. Toby’s food bowl should be filled every morning and his squeaky hedgehog toy should be placed in the bowl with his food, or he won’t eat. He is allowed six treats per day from the Silver Jubilee tin on the fridge. Toby likes to be patted but not stroked. Stroking upsets him and he may bite.
These were the instructions for my three-night dog-sit.
Toby is a 12-year-old, mostly white, very male Jack Russell. Although he is now deaf, touchy and barrel-shaped, one can still see that he must have been a fine-looking animal in his pomp.
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