Grade 1 and 2 students make BIG impact through KINDNESS

 Toby the dog here.... today I am sitting in the background so we can honour some amazing students!!

They are the grades 1 and 2 class at Glen Elm Elementary school in Regina Saskatchewan.  What a great group of students!!

In October we went to their school and did a presentation during our PAWS Across Canada tour... our mission to reduce bullying and increase kindness.... we want to make a kinder world one paw one person at a time.  Look how these students are helping this kindness mission.....

Here's the letter they wrote me:

Look how these students are being leaders and change makers!

Their PAWsome acts of kindness are making a big difference!!

Here's  little video I made to say THANK YOU!!!


Their acts of kindness were so incredible, the class has received a Toby Kindness Certificate.

Thank you for inviting us to your school.  And BIG BARKS of thanks for making our world a better place!!

Toby' Snowy PAWTOGRAPH!

Thank you to our partners Petland Canada for sponsoring this presentation, and for helping us share our message of kindness to people, pets and the planet.

Dog on national tour to spread kindness and prevent bullying

Photo Credit Airdrie Echo newspaper

Check me out!

I'm a traveling dog.

Traveling dog with a blog!

And

I'm on a mission to spread kindness.

We just finished the first leg of the tour in Alberta and BC Canada

Now, in October, Bully Prevention Month, we are touring Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

I'll be filming the whole tour with my very own GoPro video camera.

Capturing kindness...animal human bond... lessons dogs teach people...and the places we eat, stay and play.

Would you like me to come to your school?

How about your workplace?

Want to have your business featured in our tour?

Contact me to get your community, school and business on the PAWS Across Canada map!

Together we can make a difference.  We'll also be raising funds and awareness for local shelters and rescues with our Twoonie for Team Toby fundraiser.  Watch our website to get involved  www.TheOriginalTeamToby.com

Dog on kindness mission...visits schools and ice cream booths to spread the message of kindness

Here it is, my dog blog for the day!  Dog nose best!

We had a PAWsome time visiting Entwhistle School early on in our PAWs Across Canada Tour.  The students had great questions for me about our Be a Buddy presentation:

1) How do dogs show kindness?
2) What inspired mom and dad to invite me to presentations?
3) How many students have been in my presentations?

Here's what mom and dad said....

1) Dogs are just accepting... they don't judge...they don't criticize...they don't gossip.... They simply accept people for who they are. They don't care how your hair looks, where you buy your clothes, and where you are from.  This is unconditional acceptance.

2)  Toby helps demonstrate unconditional acceptance and makes a memorable learning experience.

3)  Several thousand so far.

On our PAWS Across Canada Tour we also attended an event at the Ice Cream Shack in Sherwood Park.

I got to meet great people including the staff that were working that day. 

 The mom's eye doctor, Doctor's Eye Care in Sherwood Park, gave kids a copy of my children's book Toby the Pet Therapy Dog Says Be a Buddy Not a Bully, as a gift.  What I love about this is that businesses are demonstrating such kindness and generosity by supporting our tour, and making a difference in this way!

 Mom LUV's tigertail icecream.

What's your fave flavour?

In my book, we talk about how I accept humans as they are....even if their favorite icecream is icecream with broccoli on top!  EEEEWWWWW!!!

4 PAWS Up to our partners on our PAWS Across Canada Tour.

We
Appreciate
You!!

WAY to go!

Second Chances... not just for dogs!

A little trail of Toby Sr destruction....

the Steering Wheel redesigned by Toby Sr

Sometimes  a guy just deserves a second chance.

Yup!  That's right.. Us dogs.... and you humans.

These photos were a few of the many tails of destruction from Toby Sr. While I am not following his house wrecking habits (which mom and dad are most pleased about), I've sure done some things that were worthy of a second chance. Marked my territory on the vacuum....while mom was vacuuming. Woke mom and dad up at 4:30 am to play fetch (alot). Lost my expensive toys in the lake (how was I to know they didn't float?).

What about you?  Are you ever needing a second chance?

Mom and her guest Keith Sanderson talked about second chances on her PAWsitive Radio show. How about second chances at work? Who in your office needs a second chance?  Mom gave three tips for second chances at work:

1)  Do the Mulligan... the do over. If you messed up, apawlogize, and fix it.

2) Drop the assumptions... you know what they say about humans who assume....

3) Resolve it and let it go. That's what dogs rock at. We are in the moment. We don't carry grudges. We are good at letting things go. Follow our lead, we've got it figured out.

Toby Sr was a dog who got second chances but in doing so made mom and dad's life WAY better!
You can check out his story here:  wwwTheOriginalTeamToby.com or on Amazon:

                                

Brain Development for Healthy Children- resilience and more.

 My pet mom’s taking over my blog today.

 

My Mom...Charmaine Hammond and I

She watched this pawsome video by Alberta Family Wellness that talks about brain development for kids. 

It’s pretty technical so she’ll finish the blog and I’m off to play fetch.

Toby’s right, this four minute video is full of important information to help parents give their child have healthy brain development.  The video talks about the importance of the type, quality and frequency of interactions with young children and how these can contribute to and build a “healthy brain architecture.”  You can watch the short video here:

 http://www.albertafamilywellness.org/resources/video/how-brains-are-built-core-story-brain-development

What I really appreciated was their message about the destructive impacts of unhealthy stress in the family (such as bullying, addictions, emotional outbursts, etc.). How you show up in life matters, and makes a difference (a positive one or negative one).  Here at Team Toby, we are on a mission to show up in life in a way that makes a PAWsitive difference, and to improve lives by teaching kindness, acceptance and respect.  This includes helping workplaces communicate respectfully and clearly, build healthy teams to support professional relationships, peacefully resolve conflicts and address issues with dignity and integrity.  In families and schools, it is our goal to teach these same principles.  

From having worked as a Correctional Officer then later as a mediator, I saw first hand the power, and positive (even life changing in some cases) outcomes that resulted from the treatment of kindness, acceptance and respect.  And of course I saw the other side too... the devastating impacts of abuse, aggression, and bullying, 

October is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Let's help children build healthy futures by supporting healthy brain development.  Together we can make a difference!

Be part of Team Toby :

- support a charity by providing them with copies of Toby's books 

- purchase a classroom set of Toby Says Be a Buddy Not a Bully for a school in your community

- share our blogs and social media posts

Follow up on these social media sites:

PAWsitive Radio (all things Pets)   http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chammond

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeamToby2

 Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/charmainehammond

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOriginalTeamToby

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/teamtoby1