Terry: The Cairn Terrier Who Played Toto in The Wizard of Oz

Toto never says a word in The Wizard of Oz, but the dog playing him out-earned some of the humans on set. That dog’s real name was Terry, and she’d already been a working Hollywood actor for years.

Who Terry was

Terry was a female Cairn Terrier born on November 17, 1933, and trained by Carl Spitz at his Hollywood Dog Training School, alongside trainer Gabrielle Quinn. Spitz’s school produced many of the era’s canine film performers, and Terry became one of its stars, working steadily through the golden age of studio pictures.

Playing Toto

Terry was cast as Toto in MGM’s The Wizard of Oz (1939) — one of three films she appeared in that were playing in theaters simultaneously that fall, alongside The Women and Bad Little Angel. She was paid $125 a week for the Oz shoot, more than the Singer Midgets who played the Munchkins reportedly earned. Her role required real stunt work and composure around bright lights, wind machines, and a live cast, and by all accounts she handled it better than some of the production’s technical effects did.

Legacy

Terry made 23 film appearances across her career. She died on September 1, 1945, at age 11, and was buried at Spitz’s ranch in Studio City. Decades later, in 2011, a permanent stone memorial for Terry — under the name “Toto” — was dedicated at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, cementing her place among the era’s screen legends.

Terry’s story is part of our roundup of the internet and Hollywood’s screen legends in the complete guide to the internet’s most famous dogs.

Frequently asked questions

What breed was Toto in The Wizard of Oz?

The dog who played Toto, a female named Terry, was a Cairn Terrier trained by Carl Spitz.

How much did the dog who played Toto get paid?

Terry was paid $125 a week on The Wizard of Oz — more than some of the film’s human actors, including the Singer Midgets who played the Munchkins.

Where is Toto (Terry) buried?

Terry was buried at trainer Carl Spitz’s ranch in Studio City, California. A permanent memorial under the name Toto was later dedicated at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in 2011.