North of Fort St John
04/15/2025
These last few days have been heavy ones—I had to say goodbye to my Toby.
After years of heckling my parents and saving my allowance I got Toby when I was ten years old, and we spent the next eighteen years growing up together. From childhood into adulthood, he was my constant—always there, quietly shaping the way I moved through the world (unless there was a ball involved, in which case, he had a few things to say).
So much of my life was built around him. I made choices with him, and often for him. He was the reason behind so many of the paths I’ve taken—sometimes the anchor, sometimes the compass, always the heart beat of it all. The four-legged axis of my world.
His absence has left an inexpressible space in my heart and in the rhythm of daily life. Eighteen years may sound like a long time, but it doesn’t feel like enough.
Toby shaped so much of who I am—how I live, how I love, and why I do the work I do. He taught me what it means to show up every day with heart, loyalty, and just a little bit of that terrier grit. I will be forever grateful for him and forever missing him.
It’s an honour to be entrusted to care for your life companions, and to be part of a world shaped by love like Toby’s. 💗
