Toby has proven to be a real Puppy With a Death Wish.  The lightning-fast little guy managed to grab a mushroom while we were out in the yard, and all I saw was the end of the stem as he gobbled it up.

Fortunately his body started purging the mushroom right away.  His poor little body emptied itself all over the place.  The vet wasn’t particularly helpful in this instance.  Her only advice was to take him to the emergency vet hospital.  Yes, going there would be good, but it is a 45 minute drive away.  I learned from a neighbor and from the internet that inducing vomiting with peroxide would be something to do within the first minutes before heading to the hospital.

I was lucky, and my little puppy survived the ordeal.  Did he learn his lesson about mushrooms, though?  Not that I can tell.  He still pulls to get near every one he sees.

This cluster of three was found on the nearby church’s property, so I call the grouping The Holy Family of Mushrooms.  The “Joseph” mushroom has a cap that is 9-10″ across.  It is HUGE! 

Here is “Joseph” seen from the top.

This mushroom had such a lovely color in real life.  Between the shade of brown and its size, it reminded me of a loaf of bread on a stalk.  Check out the leaves on the plant beside it to try to get an idea of just how massive it is.