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That was how his worst accident happened. Racing toward a nearby tree, he didn’t see the sharp bit of broken branch jutting out beside his target. He ran toward it, mouth open, and it pierced the back of his throat, lodging itself there.

The emergency surgery cost $1,143. But that was in 2018 veterinary dollars, a bargain compared to the two eyelid surgeries he later needed when growths began to impede his vision. Those were $1,567 and $1,868. Dogs can be costly little critters.

When we got Toby home after his forest misadventure, we spoiled him shamelessly, not that he noticed. Being spoiled was always par for his course. Why have a dog if you don’t show him every single day that you love him as much as he loves you?

Or nearly as much. I don’t believe any human is capable of the same unadulterated sweetness, undying loyalty and unabashed love as a dog.

That was what we were given daily by our Toby, the Best Dog Ever. (Interesting fact: 99 per cent of dog owners share their home with the Best Dog Ever. The remainder shouldn’t have dogs.)

We had to say goodbye to our little guy in early May, after age and too many assaults on his well-being had taken their toll. He was a little over 12, and he was our last dog, a bracing surge of liveliness in the home of two retired empty-nesters.

We’re still unsettled by the quietness, by the lack of greeting when we open the door. The small cues — cheese being unwrapped, a falling potato chip — are meaningless now. No one curls up beside us or lies on our feet every time we sit down.

This is why people get dogs, why parents bring home adorable puppies for the kids. It’s also why people overlook the overall cost of dog ownership. Consider food (Toby’s monthly bag of Royal Canin costs $126 at PetSmart), equipment (leashes, tags, poop bags, toys, beds), boarding costs if you go away ($50 to $70 a day), vet bills.

Even the healthiest of young dogs can cost a chunk of change for an annual vet visit that includes consultation ($160), shots ($50 to $55 each) and monthly tablets for the prevention of heartworm, fleas and ticks ($468 total). Check out any lump or bump, and watch the dollars fly.

They can hit a wallet hard, our lovable little clowns. And yet.

We miss Toby’s lively intelligence, his playful curiosity, his gentle paw on a knee when instinct told him one of us was having a bad day. His absence is palpable.

We don’t call it grief, at least not publicly, because non-dog people would think we were nuts. But anyone who’s had a pet knows what it is. When you lose a family member who made you happy, who calmed your heart, who gave you purpose, what else can you call it?

Except for a few brief gaps in our life together (kids! Newborn twins!), we’ve always had dogs. The passing of each one — our bull terrier, Daisy; our first yellow lab, Molly — created such sadness that we invariably vowed we’d never get another dog. Until we did.

But no more. Age is a stern enforcer.

Did Toby cost a heap of money over his too-short lifespan? Absolutely he did, the estimated total just north of $36,000. And yet there isn’t a single dollar figure that could ever measure his worth. The gift of Toby in our lives was nothing short of priceless.

I’ve kept his collar, his tag and the warmth of his memory. My phone’s home screen is a shot of him on one of his favourite forest rambles, sitting patiently before tearing off, a blur of pure joy, on another adventure.

Toby, our last dog, was the best. Best Dog Ever.