A New Name. A New Adventure
Friday, May 29, 2015
By: Cary-Enoch Reinstein

I couldn't possibly have asked for or found a more suitable and wonderful dog than Toivo!

I first met the Siberian Husky/German Shepherd mix the shelter dubbed Nick Fury (after the one-eyed Marvel Comics hero) this past Saturday. Then I went back the following day and adopted him.

His new name is Toivo, which is a Finnish word that means hope. He is very different than he was at the shelter, a place that necessarily is stressful for animals. I walk him morning and afternoon around my quiet neighborhood for about 30-35 minutes each time. Toivo loves to stop and sniff doggie messages but he never pulls. On the contrary, he constantly looks over his shoulder as if to check that I'm still there. The sidewalks are narrow so I prefer him to walk in front of me. My geriatric Irish Setters (also from the Humane Society) generally ignore him. They're not very active anymore at ages 11-ish and 12-ish. They all eat right next to each other without the slightest fuss just as I knew they would. Toivo thought that the male might make a fun chew toy but he kept moving off so Toivo now looks elsewhere.
Toivo is full of spirit but he's easy to control because he's so eager to please and so responsive. He's just a German Shepherd in that way. I've been owned by more than a dozen German Shepherds and five Huskies in my life, each one of them a unique adventure. Toivo sleeps peacefully all night long beside my bed close to the "old folks." He's definitely not a morning person, so to speak. After he awake,s all he wants to do is follow me around, occasionally stopping to pick up one of the stuffed toys I've given him. He doesn't get into mischief. Most Huskies do but Toivo is a unique combination, Husky in many ways, but with a mindset like that of a Shepherd. I couldn't possibly have asked for or found a more suitable and wonderful dog than Toivo!