Meet Toby - and try not to fall immediately in love. We dare you. This little chi/terrier mix came into the world on January 1st, 2026, which means he literally started the new year as the gift he is. Petite and delicately featured, with the most adorable permanent white socks …
Meet Toby - and try not to fall immediately in love. We dare you.
This little chi/terrier mix came into the world on January 1st, 2026, which means he literally started the new year as the gift he is. Petite and delicately featured, with the most adorable permanent white socks on his paws, Toby is the kind of dog who makes strangers stop and say "wait, can I hold him?"
Toby arrived at Starfish with his two sisters, and from day one, he was the big brother energy of the group - patient, generous, and quietly making sure everyone was okay. His sisters have since found their forever homes. And Toby? He just kept right on big-brothering. Every foster sibling that comes through the door gets the full Toby treatment: he'll share his toys, yield his favorite nap spot, and generally make whoever is next to him feel like the most important creature in the room.
He is, in the most genuine sense, a caretaker.
But Toby isn't just sweet with animals - he is absolutely magnetic with people. Call his name and he will drop everything and come find you. Everything. He forms bonds fast and loves hard, and if closeness and affection are what you're looking for in a dog, Toby will absolutely meet you there.
He is also - and we say this with full sincerity - almost suspiciously easy. He's doing great with potty training and will find his pee-pads on his own if no one's around to let him out. He plays well with other animals but is just as happy entertaining himself. He listens. He adapts. He considers.
Honestly? We're not sure what he did to deserve being this good. We're just glad he's here.
Toby will likely top out around 20 lbs. full grown - though we can't make any guarantees on size. He's currently 12 lbs. as of May 18th and is looking for a home with kids ages 6 and older.
If you've been waiting for a sign - Toby has white socks, a heart of gold, and he is ready for you
If you are interested in adopting/meeting this pup , please complete our online adoption application that you can find here:
https://www.starfishanimalrescue.com/adopt/dog-adoption-application . Your application will be reviewed by our team and if it is a good fit, we will send to the foster family to set up a meet!
The adoption fee of $400 will include spay/neuter, microchip, age appropriate/required vaccinations, treatment for heartworm and any other necessary medical treatment to assure a healthy new pup for your family. IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Although we do our best to describe breed, since our pups all come from shelters we can not and will not make any guarantee on breed or size. We can tell you that they are 100%% RESCUED! And that is the BEST breed!
*please note that we are a foster home based rescue and we do home visits as part of the adoption process - we are unable to adopt to families who live outside of the Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Thank you for your understanding.
