Prairie Dogs

Meet Toby

Toby the Amazing Prairie Dog joined the PAWPRINT gang in June 1994, as just a pup. After nearly nine years as our Original Official Spokespet, Toby passed away of natural causes in February 2003. We've chosen to honor his memory by having him remain the dapper dog that welcomes you to our web site.

Not only was he one truly amazing prairie dog, Toby is also the Official Spokespet and Web Site Host for PAWPRINT. He also regularly appeared in our Animal Adventures programs and toured King County (Washington) libraries, visited many classrooms, and attended several county fairs. In fact, he's even appeared on KOMO-TV's Northwest Afternoon.

Extremely friendly and intelligent animals, prairie dogs quickly learn many things. Not only did Toby know his name, he also knew the word "No." He didn't always respond, but he did stop and look at you.

Toby also recognized the sound of the front door, remembered people he'd met only once, and knew the distinct noise of the treat jar opening. No matter where he was or what he was doing, when the treat jar opened, Toby came running!

When asleep, nothing disturbed Toby...not even a vacuum cleaner. However, the treat jar opening penetrated even the deepest prairie dog slumber!

When awake, Toby was a bundle of energy and needed lots of playtime. His favorite playtime activities included Jump In The Trash, King Of The Sofa and Burrow In The Laundry. Then, when he needed a nap, he either went back to his cage or looked for a conveniently located lap.

Toby Talks Teeth

My humans think they're rather clever. So, occasionally I need to put them in their place.

That was the case one afternoon in 1997 when I managed to get out of my cage. I won't tell you how, just in case I want to do it again. But trust me, it was easy!

Luckily, no humans were around, so I had free access to the peanuts! I love peanuts!

My humans thought the peanut jar was well hidden, way up on a top shelf. But like I said, they aren't very clever. I can easily climb a few shelves, especially for a whole jar of peanuts.

So, I did.

In the process, though, I knocked the jar off the shelf and followed it right to the floor. What happened next is a bit fuzzy, but I must have landed on my face. That hurt!

The next morning, my top teeth fell out. I went to the vet that afternoon and my bottom teeth were filed down.

Being a rodent, my teeth grow continually. By filing down the bottom ones, as my top teeth grew back in, they'd all be the same length.

Luckily, my teeth grew back quickly, and it wasn't long before I was plotting new ways to get those peanuts!

Meet Sarsaparilla, Better Known As Sassy

In May 2000, a batch of prairie dog pups arrived here at PAWPRINT, most of them already reserved by anxious humans.

One little girl, though, was decidedly smaller than the others. She also didn't have much energy and it seemed like she was getting worse before our eyes!

After the initial panic came and went, we assessed the situation, decided she was younger than the other pups and probably wasn't yet weaned.

So, we offered her a bottle. She greedily drank it up! A few hours later, she got another bottle. A few hours later, another. And another...

Before long, this little girl was full of energy and sass. And, before long, she'd been named Sassy, or - more formally - Sarsaparilla.

We never meant to keep her. In fact, once she'd gained some weight and no longer needed the heating pad, we put her back with the other pups.

However, here at PAWPRINT, once an animal has a name, the animal stays. Besides, Toby needed a pal, right? That was all the justification we needed.

We told Sassy to unpack her bags. She wasn't going anywhere.

For Sassy and Toby, it was love at first sight! From the first day they met, they've been inseperatable - sleeping curled up together, grooming each other, even sharing peanuts. Toby sharing a peanut? Unbelievable!