Thursday, October 1, 2015

Million Acts of Kindness Tour in Calgary


On the second day of the Million Acts of Kindness tour, the team made the long voyage over to Calgary, Alberta. A long drive through the mountains in rain and fog. Arriving quite late at night, it was convenient to be able to park the Fraserway RV in the Wal-Mart parking lot, which was situated right across the street from our hotel sponsor for the night, Super 8 Shawnessy. This hotel generously hosted Team Toby for the second year in a row. I was pleasantly surprised with this hotel, as the decor was quite modern and the service was fast and efficient. You know you’re at a hotel that loves dogs when there is a huge vase full of dog treats on the counter!


Thankfully, the team got a good night’s rest that night, because our agenda was full of kindness events and activities! Early that morning, the team made their way to CTV, where Charmaine and Toby were featured on Morning Live. We are so fortunate to have the local news channels support our cause and help Toby bark his message of kindness across the country.


We also enjoyed a park clean up at Shaganappi Park with members of the

​Evolutionary ​Business Council. Th​e​ park was so clean we were done ​i​n no time​!​
CBC showed up to cover the event.  




Toby got to make some new friends at the Boys and Girls Club of Calgary that afternoon, where Charmaine, Chris and Toby were able to teach the students valuable lessons, such as how to treat each other with kindness, love and respect. Toby helped the students find ways in which they can help each other out, as well as ways in which they can be kind to family members and club staff. Thanks to Petland Canada, all the children were able to take home a copy of Toby’s book and kindness bracelet, so they can remember Toby’s positive message.

That night the team celebrated yet another fun and successful day at Petland Canada’s store in Shawnessy. Charmaine and Toby were thrilled to meet the staff that helped out on the Twoonies for Team Toby fundraising campaign. Because of their hard work and dedication, hundreds of students across Canada will now have access to Toby’s books and kindness presentations. It was also great to see some of Charmaine's friends who came to support the event.  

​That night we left Calgary​, and​we had a short and pleasant drive to Airdrie.
Julie Angeletti, Team Toby Event Coordinator 

 Thank you to all our sponsors, partners and champions on the Million Acts of Kindness Tour... you are helping us make a difference!
PS..... What's on your bucket list for travel this year?  Please share.  Canadian Traveller Magazine, one of our sponsors, would love to know.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Million Acts of Kindness Tour Kick Off Event

Today's blog is from our Team Toby event coordinator extraordinaire Julie!.

Photo Credit Team Toby

The Million Acts of Kindness tour
​, created by North Vancouver resident Charmaine Hammond,​
 kicked off at the end of August in Port Coquitlam.
​
 Our amazing sponsor, Petland Canada, kindly hosted the event at their store location and celebrated 
​the
 launch
​ with us​
. Toby the dog, and star of this tour, had the opportunity to meet some of his fans, as well as give-away copies of his book “Toby Says ‘Be A Buddy, Not A Bully’” and “Toby and His Hospital Friends” to students and children that came to the store. Petland Canada
​​
​ participated​
 in the Twoonie for Team Toby campaign, 
​and ​
s
​old​
 cut out paper pawprints for $2, with all funds supporting donations of Toby's books and classroom resources into local schools.
 
Photo Credit Team Toby

Anticipation was building the closer we got to our take-off time, but the team was really excited to hit the open road in the Kindness RV sponsored by our friends at Fraserway RV!

​ ​
Our first stop on the tour was beautiful Kamloops, and we took off, 
​driving​
​
 into the sunset towards interior BC. Despite enjoying the scenic views from our 
​Fraserway
 RV
​,​
 we were happy to arrive to our first destination safely, and we pulled into the Best Western Kamloops for the night.


Photo Credit Team Toby

Wired from the excitement from the launch of the tour, I didn’t think I would get any sleep that night. But I was pleasantly surprised! It had been a while since I slid into a king sized bed with multiple excessively plush pillows, which instantly put my body into relaxation mode. Not surprising for a hotel that has hosted dog-whisperer icon Cesar Millan. It didn’t take long before I was seeing Z’s. Charmaine, Ch
​r​
is and Toby had a restful sleep in the RV. The generosity of this hotel 
​was
 greatly appreciated, this was the second year that they hosted Team Toby.
Photo Credit Team Toby

The next morning, I had a chance to meet the general manager Tim at the front desk. He and his staff took some time out of their day to show me around the hotel and impressed me with their love for animals. Not only did they double their pet-friendly rooms within the last year, but they renovated all their pet-friendly rooms to hardware floors! Toby gave his bark of approval and promised the staff he’d see them again on his next visit to Kamloops, and the team took off to our next stop.
​

Written by Julie Angeletti, Team Toby

Photo Credit Team Toby




Saturday, September 26, 2015

Family Fun TAILgate Parties with Pets


It's me....Toby the dog... travelling across North America on a Million Acts of Kindness tour with my humans!  And this is my blog.... life through the eyes of a dog.

All along the way we see so many acts of kindness....

People being loving and kind to one another..... and to animals....

Julie and I in Winnipeg  Photo credit Team Toby
... like our team member Julie. She is PAWsome!


Businesses collaborating to make a super fun event for families, kids and pets.  Thanks Westoba Credit Union, Petland Canada, Fraserway RV, The Original Poop Bags, Telus, Holiday Inn, and Canadian Traveller Magazine!









And of course all TAILgate parties need awesome music!  Thanks to the DJs at the event.

Family Fun TAILgate Party At Petland Canada Winnipeg


Have you posted your act of kindness on our Kindness Matters Page?  Share the acts of kindness that have impacted you or someone you know.  Together we can make a difference!

Thank you to our incredible Million Acts of Kindness tour partners! 

Remember to follow our tour on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!


Friday, June 26, 2015

Fitness gives a new leash on life...for pets and their humans

Photo Credit Charmaine Hammond Team Toby June 2015

It's me Toby... a dog with a blog!

How active are you?  How about your pet?

Mom and I walk about 6000-12,000 steps together a day, that doesn't include all the running through the house as I chase my toys. I get lots of exercise and I make sure mom and dad do too.  

When I am in St Albert, I love to visit my friend Kaytie's K9 Awareness Centre and go on the doggy tread mil.


Mom interviewed Tricia Montgomery on her PAWsitive Radio show.  Tricia is the  CEO & Founder, K9 Fit Club® who is the  Nation’s leading expert and pioneer in human/canine fitness. Her diverse experience in veterinary medicine, public relations, animal rescue, personal training, and her own weight loss journey gave her the perfect combination of skills to create a nationwide community of certified trainers – dedicated to the health, fitness, and wellness of dogs and their people.


Several years ago, after a visit to the veterinarian with her dog Louie, Ms. Montgomery realized the need for a fitness program, not just for Louie, but for herself as well. She ended up losing 130 pounds and Louie was able to shed four pounds. After her personal journey, she wanted to help all people and their dogs be happy and stay healthy and fit together. Her passion and love for both people and dogs led to the creation of K9 Fit Club. Montgomery introduced the nation’s first online education platform for teaching the standards of excellence in human and canine fitness. Today, K9 Fit Club is now turning those certified trainers into franchisees around the globe, as they roll out K9 Fit Club franchises Summer 2015.   K9 Fit Club, giving both humans and canines a New Leash on Life™


How can you improve your fitness with your pet?
What 3 things can you do to improve your health and your pet's health?
What you can do to ensure you move with purpose, every day?



 To find out about our upcoming Million Acts of Kindness Tour or to order a copy of Toby’s books check out our Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/TheOriginalTeamToby    For people who love to travel, please check out canadiantraveller.com for awesome destinations, travel tips, bucket-list adventures and so much more.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Does your dog have etiquette?



It's me!
Toby the dog.
A dog with a blog and
a big mission of kindness.



I tried to sneak the crumbs from my pupcakes at my last birthday picnic...and was caught.

Mom interviewed behaviourist Amy Shojai on her PAWSitive Radio show, and Amy was talking about pet etiquette.  

Now, I think I am pretty good...most of the time.  I don't mooch from the table.  I mostly don't drool when humans are eating. I've never stolen food off the counter, but I did help myself to mom's friends' leftovers (and discovered I like Pad Thai noodles) once and sometimes I like it when someone drops food so I can grab it. But mostly, my etiquette is pretty good.

How about your four legged family member?  How does he/she rate on the PETiquette scale?

 


Amy Shojai a certified animal behavior consultant, and the award-winning author of 30 best selling pet books. She created the Puppies.about.com site as the Puppies Expert and was the cat behavior expert at cats.About.com, and you can find her half hour Internet Pet Peeves radio shows here. Amy has been featured as an expert in hundreds of print venues including The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, and Family Circle, as well as national radio and television networks such as CNN, Animal Planet’s DOGS 101 and CATS 101. She’s been a consultant to the pet products industry and a host/program consultant for select “furry” TV projects.

You can listen to mom and Amy talking about how to stop your pet from stealing food at the picnic or mooching at the table, here.  

Guess what September is?  Our Million Acts of Kindness Tour.....




To find out about our upcoming Million Acts of Kindness Tour or to order a copy of Toby’s books check out our Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/TheOriginalTeamToby    For people who love to travel, please check out canadiantraveller.com for awesome destinations, travel tips, bucket-list adventures and so much more.
 

Monday, June 22, 2015

Conscious Travel, Natural Paws and More!



Photo Credit Charmaine Hammond: TheOriginalTeamToby.com


Toby the dog here....blogging up a storm....

Today mom interviewed two pawtastic guests on PAWsitive Radio. 

Carlos Cymerman and Elyse Horvath.  Carlos was talking about tips for businesses when recruiting new employees and the importance of having the right employee in the right job.  Carlos also talked about how he has built a charitable side to his business through We Travel for Good.  Mom thought this was awesome!

Elyse talked about the Natural Paws products... mom's used them on me and we love them!  And provided some tips for taking care of your pets outdoors in the summer.  It was a good reminder about how fast our paws heat up on pavement, thanks Elyse!

You can listen to the great information from Elyse and Carlos here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/teamtoby/2015/06/20/conscious-travel-recruiting-right-and-wellness-for-pets-and-humans



Speaking of travelling for good, we are leaving in two months on our Million Acts of Kindness Tour,
our mission to build a kinder world one paw one person at a time.  What;s your favorite story or quote about kindness?  How has kindness impacted you, or someone you know?  Please share with us by leaving a comment on the blog, and by going to our facebook page and liking the page and leaving a comment there too. 

Change begins with a conversation.... Let's get so much talking going on about kindness that things change quickly. :))


To find out about our upcoming Million Acts of Kindness Tour or to order a copy of Toby’s books check out our Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/TheOriginalTeamToby  

For people who love to travel, please check out canadiantraveller.com for awesome destinations, travel tips, bucket-list adventures and so much more.

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Spinners Raise Funds and Awareness for St John Ambulance Therapy Dogs

Photo Credit Charmaine Hammond team Toby

Toby the dog here.

You guessed it.

I 'm a dog with a blog!

Do you travel?

Do you travel with your pets?

Do you travel for good....with your pets?

That's what our family is doing September 2015... our Million Acts of Kindness tour...we're on a mission to make the world a better place through kindness. 

Thanks to one of our amazing PAWtners, Carolyn Ellis of Brilliance Mastery created this amazing image of what our tour is all about...

 While mom was in St Catharine's Ontario, she had the chance to participate in an exciting event SPIN 4 THE PAWS with an incredible line up of pawtners..





Thanks to the amazing partners, volunteers, sponsors, attendees, exhibitors, and those who cycled to raise funds and awareness.... THANK YOU!!  Together we made a difference.

The Power of Pets, Liva Health and Niagara Region St. Johns' Ambulance Therapy Dog Program... it was great to collaborate with you on this event!

Check out the conversation that mom and Denis had about the event on her PAWsitive Radio show.  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/teamtoby/2015/05/09/spin-for-the-paws-cycling-to-raise-funds-for-therapy-dogs

To find out about our upcoming Million Acts of Kindness Tour or to order a copy of Toby’s books check out our Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/TheOriginalTeamToby    

What's on your dream or bucket list for travel in 2015 and 2016?  For people who love to travel, please check out canadiantraveller.com for awesome destinations, travel tips, bucket-list adventures and so much more.