Born to be Bolt, Toby shed his given name when he was welcomed into Kim’s loving family. Despite the fact that they all liked each other, excitement was mixed with nervousness until they knew with utter certainty that theirs was a forever friendship.
By Kim’s own, glowing admission, they’re happy people, with even more smiles and laughs thanks to Bolt. He’s the first one they love on in the morning and the last one for a good night cuddle and a “night, night Bolt bug!” On workdays, he’s usually well behaved while meetings are held in the family’s home offices — with the occasional squeaking toy in the background – and spends his time either under Kim’s desk on her feet, snuggled up under her credenza or stretched out next to her chair.
Bolt is so cheerful, always wagging his tail and tapping his feet. And because he needs to touch his parents, he’s always pulling their arms with his paw so that they’re touching him. He also keeps them in stitches by the way he steals socks, sneaking in to get them, and then trotting out as if to say, “hahaha!” He doesn’t chew them or tear them up; he just steals them and probably has a stash somewhere. Famously fond of tug-o-war, especially when his parents play growl with him, he loves long leash walks at the park, and resting his head on his parents when they’re in the swing in the backyard. He also loves all of his toys, chew toys, stuffed animals and puzzle toys, but what he loves best is his blankie. After dinner, he cocoons himself inside it and wraps it around his head as if it’s attacking him, then he’ll wrestle with it until he wins!
One thing Bolt does NOT like, though, is getting up in the morning. If anyone approaches him, he opens one eye, annoyed at being disturbed, then squeezes his eyes shut and goes back to sleep, rousing himself only when he hears what sounds like fun going on without him.
As king of the backyard, Bolt, who’s endlessly entranced by birds and squirrels, is not only on constant squirrel duty but has a nemesis squirrel. Most mornings, he’ll sit at the glass door until he spots his red squirrel. Then he nudges the bells at the door to be let out and tears across the yard to chase him up the tree. That squirrel taunts him! It even sits on the fence by Kim’s office window, flicking his tail and chirping at Bolt.
One morning, after Bolt had successfully chased it up the tree, the squirrel jumped from that tree to a nearby palm, all the while chirping at Bolt. As Bolt ran back and forth, the squirrel missed his jump and fell out of the tree. Obviously shocked, they both jumped in the air, paws off the ground, looking like two cartoon characters who had never expected that, and clearly making Kim’s day.
