Little Toby the terrier had a rough start to life. The dog was born in South Korea, and he was quickly abandoned by his first owner. The dog wandered into an auto repair shop, and the shop owner took the little dog to a shelter. The shelter was overcrowded, and so Toby was forced to sleep in an outdoor kennel during the dead of winter.
Thankfully, Toby’s luck soon turned around.
A rescue organization called Band for Animal took Toby in and flew him to America. Band for Animal rescues dogs from the Korean dog meat trade and overcrowded shelters in Korea. The organization then sends these dogs to foster homes across America.
Toby ended up being placed with the Hoang family. The family quickly fell in love with him!
The Hoangs were first-time dog foster parents, and they were excited to give fostering a try. While the Hoangs immediately loved Toby, he was a bit wary of them at first—after everything he had been through, he naturally had trouble trusting people.
At first, Toby refused to leave his crate. On the rare times he came out of the crate, he wouldn’t lie down—he simply stood and stared at his new family members.
The Hoangs were patient with Toby, and eventually, the little dog began to warm up to them. Toby became especially close with his dad.
“At first, my husband was unsure of Toby because he was very timid and also this was our very first foster experience,” Ann Hoang told The Dodo. “However, by the [first] evening, Toby had sat down next to my husband and he looked up at him with his puppy dog eyes, and my husband saw the kindness of God in Toby’s face. Toby seemed to attach to my husband pretty quickly from there on out.”
A week went by, and Toby and his dad grew closer and closer. Toby also started spending more time with his dog sibling Charlie—the two quickly began to bond.
After a week, a couple of families contacted Ann and said they were interested in adopting Toby. Ann’s heart sunk; she knew her husband would be crushed if Toby went to another home. The pair were already inseparable.
Ann quickly realized that Toby was going to be a ‘foster fail.’ It was clear Toby belonged with Ann and her husband.
Ann decided to secretly adopt Toby and surprise her husband. She contacted Band for Animal and told them her plan. They were excited to hear that Toby was going to such a good home, and they happily played along.
A volunteer from Band for Animal came to Ann’s house to do a home check; the last step before the Hoangs could officially adopt Toby. To keep up the surprise, Ann told her husband that the volunteer was a potential adopter. The volunteer came in and looked around. Then, she handed Ann’s husband a card saying that Toby was officially his!
Ann’s husband immediately started sobbing and hugging Toby. He was so happy that he didn’t have to say goodbye to his beloved dog!
“My husband is such a giving person, always putting others before himself,” Ann said. “He’s never really asked for anything or wanted anything badly. Toby was the first experience where I could see he would be heartbroken without him.”
Toby and his dad quickly formed an unbreakable bond, and now they’ll never have to worry about losing each other again! If you want to see the beautiful moment where Ann’s husband learned he was keeping Toby, check out the video below!
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