Whatever Happened to Toto from ‘The Wizard of Oz’?

THE WIZARD OF OZ, Judy Garland, Toto, 1939 — Everett Collection

On August 25, 1939, The Wizard of Oz opened in theaters across the country. Judy Garland may have been the star of the film, but it is hard to imagine Dorothy’s trip to Oz without Toto by her side. If you think about it, that adorable little dog is actually one of the most important characters in the story. Toto escapes from Miss Gulch, helps Dorothy’s friends find her at the Wicked Witch’s castle and exposes the man hiding behind the curtain.

While Toto is referred to as a male dog in the film, he was actually played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry. She was already an experienced animal actor when she joined Garland on the Yellow Brick Road. Let’s look back at the true story of the famous dog in honor of the film’s 87th anniversary.

How did Terry the dog become a movie star?

From left: Shirley temple in costume for BRIGHT EYES and her stand-in Marilyn Granas taking Rages the dog out for a promenade along dressing room row at the Fox Film studio, 1934

Everett Collection

Willard Carroll’s book I, Toto, explains that Terry was originally purchased as a family pet. Her first owners had trouble housebreaking her and brought her to Carl Spitz at the Hollywood Dog Training School. Spitz trained Terry, but her owners never returned for her, so she remained with him.

Spitz was a well-known animal trainer who used silent hand signals to direct dogs during filming. He soon realized that Terry had the right personality for the movies and got Terry acting in 1934. She appeared in Ready for Love and played Rags in the Shirley Temple film Bright Eyes. She later appeared with Spencer Tracy in Fury. By the time MGM began looking for a dog to play Toto, Terry was already comfortable working on a movie set. Spitz studied L. Frank Baum’s story and trained Terry to perform the actions Toto would need to do in the film. She got the part and reportedly earned about $125 per week.

Did Terry perform her own stunts in The Wizard of Oz?

Everett Collection

Terry performed Toto’s scenes herself, including riding in Miss Gulch’s bicycle basket and working in front of the large wind machines used during the tornado sequence. However, another dog had to fill in briefly after a performer playing one of the Wicked Witch’s Winkie guards accidentally stepped on Terry’s paw.

Judy Garland became very fond of Terry during filming. Garland reportedly wanted to buy her, but Spitz refused to sell. After The Wizard of Oz, Terry continued appearing in films, including The Women and Tortilla Flat. She became so closely associated with Toto that Spitz later changed her name to Toto.

What happened to Terry after she retired?

Terry eventually retired and lived with Spitz in California. She died in 1945 and was buried on his ranch in Studio City. Sadly, the property was later demolished during the construction of the Ventura Freeway, destroying her original grave.

In June 2011, a memorial to Terry was dedicated at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It features a life-size sculpture of the dog and gives fans a place to remember her, but Terry’s remains are not buried there.

TV Insider staff

Watch The Wizard of Oz on MeTV This October

If this makes you want to watch The Wizard of Oz again, you won’t have to wait long. MeTV will air The Wizard of Oz several times in October 2026 as part of its Halloween BOO-Nanza. It will be the film’s first appearance on free broadcast television since CBS aired it on May 9, 1998.

Collector’s Call host Lisa Whelchel will host MeTV’s first broadcast of the movie. The network will also include “The Wonderful World of Oz,” a collection of special segments featuring stories and memorabilia from the film. Svengoolie and the Sven Squad will host another presentation sometime during the month as well.