An empty dog dish lies in the office of Cleveland’s Mounted Police Unit.
That’s where Toby used to drink every day.
“He would come and greet me,” said retired officer Michael Sikora. “Every morning, I would come up here, and he would lay by me up in the office and everything.”
Toby, a lab-collie-chow mix, was killed by a train on Monday.
Sikora turned to a long-time hobby, poetry, to remember the beloved unit mascot.
“A loving, gentle soul left the world today/When I heard, I didn’t know what to say,” Sikora read.
Toby had been a vital part of the 38th Street unit’s operation since 1995, when fellow officers rescued the puppy.
“Toby was an asset to the community,” said Sgt. Gerald Zarlenga of Cleveland’s Mounted Police Unit. “Toby would go to all our neighboring businesses, and he was actually part of everybody’s family here.”
The dog, that loved to chase motorcycles and feared thunderstorms, had served at the unit for 16 years — longer than most.
Retired Officer Jim Benedict has known Toby since day one.
In fact, Benedict said Toby was the friendliest neighbor in town — especially during lunch hour.
“He’d go across the tracks to King Avenue, beverage distributers, Mayfield Importing, two factories,” he said. “He knew when they were having their breaks. He’d go there and they’d split their breakfast up with him. He’s come back here and sleep for three hours because he ate so much.”
During Toby’s time at the unit, however, nobody adored him more than children.
Benedict said the dog would see more than 8,000 kids a year and never bit a single one.
“When you come down here, you know Toby is going to be here,” he said. “People bring apples down for the horses, and they always had boxes of dog treats for Toby.”