While most South Koreans view dogs as companions and not edible, there are still certain small communities that do not share this view. So, when the stray dog, Toby, lived on the streets, he was in real, imminent danger.
Fortunately, Toby found his way to a friendly auto shop owner who turned him over to a South Korean shelter whose focus was taking in dogs at risk of being turned into meat.
But Toby’s journey did not stop there. The shelter was already full, so the poor pup had to stay outside in the cold. Thankfully, a foster family in the U.S. found out about Toby and offered to give him a temporary home.
That was how Toby arrived at the home of Ann Hoang and her husband. Ann Hoang had wanted a second dog long before Toby showed up, but her husband worried that having two dogs would be too big of a responsibility for the couple.
When Toby first arrived, Ann and her husband saw Toby as a “trial run” where they could see how adopting a second dog would be. But it did not take long for both Ann and her husband to become attached to their new friend.
“At first, my husband was unsure of Toby because he was very timid and also this was our very first foster experience. 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.”
When it came time for Toby to find a forever home, Ann could see that her husband’s heart would break if he was forced to separate from Toby. So, she decided to surprise her husband with some wonderful news: Toby was going to be their dog.
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