It takes a great heart to welcome a dog into your home that would only stay for a while.
Foster care is something we don’t speak enough about. Not everyone can commit to taking care of a dog in need – someone that needs extra special treatment and rehabilitation. That’s why good foster homes and foster pawrents are super hard to find.
Shelters and rescue organizations always want to be sure they’re trusting their saved pups with someone who would go beyond all boundaries to keep the dogs safe and sound.
One of those trustworthy people was Ann Hoang, a foster pawrent who wanted to change the life of her family a bit.
Little did she know that she and her husband would be the ones who would make a great change – the one that matters.
Toby, The Rescue Pup That Made A Difference
Ann and her husband have always been dog people. They were enjoying their family life with a pup named Charlie, but something felt like it was missing. Ann came to the idea of bringing another dog into the family.
At first, her husband was a bit suspicious as to whether they could handle two dogs at the same time. Still, he agreed, and the couple decided they would foster a dog before adopting.
Everything was going according to plan, when a newcomer came into their home. Toby was his name, and he was a foster dog desperate for a loving family.
Toby was no ordinary rescue dog. He came all the way from South Korea as a rescue pup, saved, thanks to Band for Animals. If it wasn’t for this organization, Toby would’ve ended up on a forever sleep list in one of the shelters, or even as a part of the Korean dog meat trade.
Toby had a really ruff life. He was abandoned by his first family and had to wander the streets in search of food and shelter. Eventually, he wandered into one car repair shop in South Korea, and they turned him in to the local shelter.
Toby spent a large part of his life in a tiny kennel, outside in the cold and rain. His days were numbered.
Fortunately, the Band for Animal rescuers came in at the last moment and transferred Toby into a safe house in Korea, and then flew him to the States.
Toby, the Schnauzer Terrier mix pup, was absolutely lost and afraid when he arrived at the Hoang’s house. He barely even got out of the crate! That’s how afraid he was of his new surroundings.
But, Toby’s new family had lots of patience and love for the little guy.
Little by little, Toby warmed up to the feeling that someone actually cared about him. He opened up and instantly created a special bond with Ann’s husband. In just one short week, Toby knocked them off their feet.
“We had two families who wanted to schedule a meeting with Toby, and when that happened, I just realized how crushed my husband would be without him,” Ann Hoang said.
Ann knew exactly what she had to do.
Officially Becoming A Part Of The Hoang Family
Ann wanted to adopt Toby as a surprise for her husband.
When she contacted the shelter, they told her they have to pass a house inspection first. But, with her husband in the house, it would be a tricky thing to accomplish.
That’s why Ann told her husband potential adopters are coming to see Toby. Secretly, those were people from the shelter coming to approve the Hoang family.
Naturally, the Hoang’s passed the inspection with top grades.
All that was left to do was officially inform Ann’s husband that Toby is now a part of their family for good.
The visitors handed the husband a card, saying he’s Toby’s new owner. The way the husband reacted left everyone astounded.
Watch the reaction for yourself!
“I thought he would be happy, but never in a million years did I think he would cry so much,” Ann Hoang said. “I have never seen him react this way to anything before! He is sensitive, but this was more than I’ve ever seen.”
Everyone got very emotional. You don’t get to see a grown man cry over a dog every day, but Ann’s man is truly a special guy who deserved a special dog.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any additional information about Toby or if he’s still with the Hoang’s.
However, I truly believe that he’s healthy and happy because he got adopted into such a loving and caring family. Everyone fell in love with Toby at first sight, even his doggy sister, Charlie.
Although he went through a nightmare, Toby got his happily ever after.
He didn’t become a part of the statistics, saying over 500,000 dogs each year get raised for meat in Korea.
Thanks to kind people and the Hoang family, Toby got to be exactly what he was born to be: a sweet family dog… not a meal.
