But nothing was wrong with the picture.
Toby really was born looking different.
His nose appeared to be divided into two distinct sections, giving his face an appearance that immediately made him stand out from almost every other dog.
And years ago, that unusual face helped lead him to the person who would change his life forever. ❤️🐶
In 2014, Toby was found wandering along a rural road in Tulare County, California, near Fresno.
Animal control described him as an approximately 2-year-old Border Collie mix. He was young, friendly and affectionate—but there was one feature nobody could miss.
His nose looked as though it had been split down the middle.
There was no obvious scar or injury that would explain its unusual appearance. Because of that, shelter staff believed Toby had most likely been born this way.
For Toby, though, his face wasn’t something to worry about.
He didn’t know that humans might stare at him.
He didn’t know that some people might think he looked strange.
He was simply a dog who wanted to play.
Shelter staff described him as lovable, and Toby reportedly enjoyed one of the simplest pleasures a dog can have: chasing a ball and playing fetch.
But being lovable doesn’t always guarantee a shelter dog a safe future.
Toby needed someone to choose him.
Eventually, word about the unusual-looking dog reached Todd Ray, a man already known for his fascination with animals whose appearances were considered extraordinary.
When Ray learned about Toby, he didn’t see a problem that needed to be fixed.
He saw a dog.
And he wanted him.
Ray decided to bring Toby home.
That simple decision gave Toby something he desperately needed—a place where he could stop being the unusual dog at the shelter and simply become somebody’s beloved companion.
Afterward, Toby was examined and found to be healthy. His unusual nose wasn’t stopping him from doing the things dogs love.
He could play.
He could cuddle.
He could run around.
He could curl up comfortably on the couch.
In other words, Toby wasn’t defined by his appearance.
A canine genetics expert later explained to Scholastic that naturally occurring split noses can appear in several dog breeds, although the feature is uncommon in dogs like Toby.
His unusual face may have been rare, but it wasn’t what made him special to the person who adopted him.
Toby was affectionate.
He was playful.
He loved attention.
And he loved playing fetch.
Soon, the face that might have caused people to pause and stare became the very thing that made Toby unforgettable.
There is, however, an important detail about his story that deserves to be told accurately.
Some retellings say Toby was moments away from euthanasia when Todd Ray found him.
But the earliest reporting doesn’t establish that his unusual appearance was the reason he was supposedly facing euthanasia. An ABC report said Toby would become available for adoption if nobody claimed him.
Shelter dogs can become at risk for many different reasons, so it’s better not to turn an uncertain part of the story into a fact.
What we do know is enough.
A stray dog was found alone on a rural California road.
He had an extraordinary face.
He had no way of knowing whether someone would look beyond it.
Then one person did.
Todd Ray didn’t ask Toby to look different.
He didn’t see something broken that needed to be corrected.
He saw an affectionate young dog who deserved a chance.
And that’s perhaps the most beautiful part of Toby’s story.
Sometimes an animal doesn’t need someone to make them look ordinary.
They simply need someone willing to recognize that being different doesn’t make them less worthy of love.
Toby’s nose made him unusual.
But it was his personality that made him Toby.
And once he finally found someone who could see past his appearance, he got to do what every dog should have the chance to do:
Play.
Cuddle.
Chase a ball.
Sleep safely on the couch.
And wake up knowing he was finally home. ❤️🐾
