Toby loves his ball - and Brooke!

There are lots of things Toby loves in life.

He likes trees!

That is admittedly an amazing tree he's found. No wonder his tongue's out. He would definitely be a contender for 'Tongue Out Tuesday', we think.

He also enjoys time by the sea, contemplating the wibbly-wobbly blue stuff.

(And there's that tongue again!)

Toby also really, really really loves his football. You can tell by his tongue!

It looks like there might be some goalposts behind him there. We're not sure how good a goalkeeper he'd be, and we don't, as a rule, include goalkeeping as one of the skills we teach our clever hearing dogs.

However, Toby can be quite insistent! Here he is in his volunteer Nicola's lovely garden, still with his football, and still quite keen for someone to join in the fun.

So, who better than Brooke? She's one of Nicola's granddaughters, and Toby adores her. Look, his tongue's out again!

We love it when our puppies bond with people. It's a very important part of being a hearing dog. Deaf people can sometimes feel very isolated and lonely, because they might not be able to take part in conversations, or feel confident on public transport. With a dog, there is no need for words: just look into those trusting eyes, and you know you have a faithful friend.

It looks like Brooke has a faithful friend! Who would very much like to play football with her.

So, what happened next?

No, we don't know where the ball went either! Perhaps this should be a 'Spot the Ball' competition.

Perhaps a video will solve the mystery...?

So, the ball did actually land. What a relief...

After a lot of use however, the football started to look a bit worn.

We could try playing with it Toby, but honestly, it's looking a bit worse for wear!

We're sure Nicola will get another ball for Toby. Although who knows, perhaps he's still very happy with it.

Are you happy Toby? 

That tongue definitely says yes!

As you can see Toby is thoroughly enjoying life. This is still all part of training: learning to play nicely with people, bonding with them, sharing his toys with them. One day Toby will be a wonderful companion to a deaf person who, right now, might be feeling a bit lost and lonely. With Toby around - especially with that tongue of his - their life will be completely transformed.

When this happens, it will be through your kindness. Your generosity.

That's all for now. Until the next Puppy Pen episode, thank you for sponsoring Toby!