# Toby — The Sign of the Four character guide

> Toby in The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Good old Toby, Poor Toby

**First appearance:** 0006-vii-the-episode-of-the-barrel

## Snapshot

A floppy-eared, keen-nosed mongrel whose tracking genius Holmes trusts almost as much as his own deductions.

## Who they are

Toby is the scenthound Holmes borrows to follow the wooden-legged man's creosote trail across London's southern suburbs. He is fallible — a creosote barrel throws him off and Holmes gently defends him — but his nose carries the pursuit from Norwood to the riverside wharf. His small failure and recovery mirror the case itself: a promising trail, a wrong turn, and a scent that finally leads to water.

## Relationships

### [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters/sherlock_holmes)

_professional_

Holmes uses Toby, a mongrel dog with an excellent sense of smell, to track the fugitives through London.

### [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters/sherlock_holmes)

_professional_

Holmes uses Toby, a mongrel dog with an excellent sense of smell, to track the fugitives through London.

### [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters/sherlock_holmes)

_professional_

Holmes uses Toby, a mongrel dog with an excellent sense of smell, to track the fugitives through London.

## In the story

### [VI: Sherlock Holmes Gives a Demonstration](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/chapters/vi-sherlock-holmes-gives-a-demonstration)

A mongrel dog with a powerful sense of scent, to be brought by Watson to track the creosote trail.

### [VII: The Episode of the Barrel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/chapters/vii-the-episode-of-the-barrel)

The dog retrieved from Mr. Sherman; used by Holmes to track the scent of creosote.

### [VIII: The Baker Street Irregulars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/chapters/viii-the-baker-street-irregulars)

Loses the scent at a creosote crossing but later leads Holmes and Watson to the riverside wharf.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters/toby
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters