Meet the Spokespets

Toby The Amazing Prairie Dog

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.

As part of his duties as Spokespet, Toby toured King County, Washington libraries, visited many classrooms, attended several county fairs, and even appeared on KOMO-TV's Northwest Afternoon.

When not busy with his Spokespet duties, Toby enjoyed playing Jump In The Trash, King Of The Sofa, and Burrow In The Laundry. His favorite treat was -- without doubt -- unsalted in-the-shell peanuts. He also enjoys snuglling up in a convenient lap for a nice afternoon nap.

Sarsaparilla The Sassified Sack Of Sass

In May 2000, a batch of prairie dog pups arrived here at PAWPRINT. One little girl was smaller than the others and didn't have much energy. We decided she might be younger than the other pups and possibly wasn't yet weaned.

When we offered her a bottle, she greedily consumed every drop. A few hours later, she got another bottle. Before long, this little girl was full of energy and sass. And, before long, she'd been named Sassy, or -- more formally -- Sarsaparilla.

Once she gained some weight, we put her back with the other pups. However, we'd named her. Besides, Toby needed a pal. And she sure was sweet. So, 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 were inseperatable -- sleeping curled up together, grooming each other, even sharing peanuts.