TOTO
1933 to circa 1943
This image "reprinted by permission, The Official 50th Anniversary
Pictorial
History, The Wizard of Oz Warner Books NY,NY © 1989, all rights reserved."
Toto, actually Terry-----was a female Cairn terrier. Carl Spitz owned Terry. Actually Terry landed one of the most important dog rolls since the filming of Rin Tin Tin. Terry was chosen out of hundreds of tests and photographs submitted to the studio for the part of Toto.
Toto was really a star of some magnitude. Terry was five years old at the making of the Wizard of Oz. She had already been in a number of films before Oz and went on to make a total of 12 films.
Toto was very well trained by her owner and would respond to commands given to her by Carl Spitz using his hands to issue commands to her. She didn't like being in the basket as told by Carl Spitz daughter, Annemarie, some years later.
Terry played in some notable roles with some of the best known stars. The breed that Terry was, Cairn terrier, became a very popular dog to own during this period. Terry's career began in 1936 and continued until her last film in 1942.
The information above is largely from the book, The Wizardry of OZ, The Artistry and Magic of the 1939 M-G-M Classic, by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman. There is a chapter called, Toto, a Dog's Life. If you love Toto, you'll love this book. Published by Gramercy Books, NY. © 1999