Toby


Ft Pierce Animal Adoption Center

Hello, and Happy New Year!  I hope you enjoyed your holidays and are ready for a fantastic 2024!  Santa Claus brought me 3 things that I wasn’t counting on at the end of the year – a 100.5* fever, chills, and body aches.  So I was down for the count for awhile, but was back behind the camera on January 6th, ready to help more animals find homes in the new year.  


I’ve learned so much from the wonderful pets in my life that the New Year has me thinking about using some of those lessons as my 2024 New Year’s resolutions.

  • New Year’s resolution #1: Make new friends. Adopt. The best and most important lesson I’ve learned from my pets is that it doesn’t matter what someone’s background is to find amazing, life-long friends. 
  • New Year’s resolution #2: Say you’re sorry. Pets are masters at getting into trouble and then giving us the most heart-felt “I’m sorry” looks… even if they do go and do the same thing again the next day.
  • New Year’s resolution #3: Make cardio fun. I hate exercising. I do. But one thing a lifetime of pet parenthood has taught me is that exercising doesn’t have to be boring… just get creative!
  • New Year’s resolution #4: Never worry about how others see you. Go for it. There’s nothing like a dog chasing a ball to make me remember that I just need to be myself and let others view me how they will. Lesson? Go for what you want and what you feel is right.
  • New Year’s resolution #5: Nap often. A nap helps you refresh yourself and can bring a whole new perspective to the way you see something. Ever wonder why cats always have that wise look? Cats spend most of the day napping… ’nuff said.  
  • New Year’s resolution #6: Laugh loud and often. After all, who’s better than your pet at making you crack a smile when you’re having a rough day?
  • New Year’s resolution #7: Never forget to give and take. 


Now that we’ve learned to go after what we want and not worry about how others see us, we must always remember to give and take. It’s a delicate balance that (somehow) pets who live in the moment seem to master much more easily than I do.