<\/strong>\u201cToby\u2019s been with me nine years this month,\u201d Jack said. \u201cWe got him in 2016, when my wife and I barely had two nickels to rub together. It was one of those grownup decisions you don\u2019t think you\u2019re ready for, but looking back, it was the best one we ever made.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/3-3-1024x683.jpg\")
Jack and his wife were newly married at the time, living in a shared house with friends and struggling to find their footing. \u201cWe were kind of craving something that made our life together feel real \u2014 something that made us feel like a family,\u201d Jack recalled. That something came in the form of a Craigslist ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The photo was of a young beagle with two bright eyes, listed as \u201cDusty.\u201d A couple had found him wandering along busy Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro. Jack remembers meeting Toby for the first time. \u201cWe took him for a little walk, and before I could even say anything, my wife just goes, \u2018Okay, we\u2019ll take him.\u2019 She handed them the leash, and suddenly we had a dog.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More Than a Rescue Toby also played a quiet but powerful role in another turning point: Jack and his wife\u2019s decision to get sober in 2019. \u201cHe was a huge part of that,\u201d Jack said. \u201cWe\u2019d take him walking, we\u2019d do things that kept our minds off drinking. He gave us a routine, and that made all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Toby gave Jack stability, Jack gave Toby a forever home \u2014 and even gave him his real name back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To Jack, he never seemed like a \u201cDusty.\u201d One night while watching \u201cThe Office,\u201d Jack suggested he looked like Toby Flenderson, the HR guy. \u201cThe second I said \u2018Toby,\u2019 he perked up,\u201d Jack said. \u201cTurns out, that had been his original name all along. We were able to confirm it years later. We didn\u2019t name him; we rediscovered who he was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One Less Eye, Twice the Spirit Toby spends most of his days at Guitarcheology alongside Jack. \u201cHe sleeps about 20 hours a day, but when people walk in, he\u2019ll get up, greet them, and see if they\u2019ll give him a pet,\u201d Jack said. \u201cThen he goes right back to his blanket. He honestly lives the life of a well-treated Walmart greeter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customers have grown just as fond of Toby as they are of the rare guitars. \u201cSome people come by just to pet Toby,\u201d Jack said. \u201cThey\u2019ll say, \u2018OK, we just wanted to see him,\u2019 and then head out. And I love that. He\u2019s become kind of a little micro-celebrity around here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jack admitted that he and his wife have even put off international travel until Toby passes. \u201cWe want to be there with him until the very end,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cWe don\u2019t have kids, so for almost a decade now, Toby has been our world. He\u2019s the one we\u2019ve cared for besides each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Shared Lesson in Care and Character \u201cIn the most cliche way, he saved me. I didn\u2019t save him,\u201d Jack said. \u201cHe gave me a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to keep going, and I just try to return the favor by giving him structure, routine, and love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a town known for its music, Jack and Toby\u2019s story isn\u2019t about chasing fame or fortune. It\u2019s about faithfulness \u2014 the kind that shows up every day, tail wagging, ready for the next walk or the next customer at the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think I\u2019ll always be a dog guy,\u201d Jack said. \u201cI\u2019ll always go find the scruffy one at the pound and bring him home. That\u2019s just who I am.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" JACK BRUNSON likes his dogs like he likes his guitars \u2014 a little rough around the edges. When you walk into his shop, Jack\u2019s Guitarcheology in Lebanon, you might first notice the rows of unusual, quirky guitars hanging from the walls \u2014 old Silvertones, dime-store brands from the \u201950s and \u201960s, and stringed oddities of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":23131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/strong>That dog quickly became the steady heartbeat of their home. \u201cThere were parts of the [COVID-19 pandemic] where I don\u2019t even think I would have noticed the passage of time if it weren\u2019t for feeding Toby and taking him out,\u201d Jack
said. \u201cHe was the only marker of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/4-3-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>Over the years, Toby has been through his share of trials. A few years ago, a fast-growing tumor in his eye left him lethargic and sick. They had to remove his eye. \u201cEveryone said, \u2018Poor baby.\u2019 But don\u2019t feel bad for him,\u201d Jack laughed. \u201cAfter he got that eye out, he was like a completely new dog. He feels better than he ever has.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/11\/6-2-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>For Jack, the parallel between his shop and his beagle is clear. Just as he sees beauty and potential in overlooked guitars, he saw it in a scruffy rescue dog. Both required care, patience, and a little belief that what\u2019s written off by others can still shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n