Pet Rescued From McAlester Shelter Becomes Model For Nationwide Dog Food Campaign

A dog rescued from a shelter in McAlester will soon be the face of nationwide advertisements for a new dog food.

Courtney Woodison said she found her best friend in Toby, a red brindle longhaired dachshund. "I think he is a very handsome dog, but I am biased," she said.

His good looks caught the eye of BARK, a company holding a nationwide contest to find America's Next Top Dog Models.

"I was on social media one night and I saw Bark Box was doing a contest and they were looking for breed specific dogs to promote their new food," Woodison continued saying, "I saw that they were offering coupons for the first 1,000 people, so I was like I really want that coupon."

About three months later, Woodison learned she had won more than a coupon. Toby was one of ten dogs chosen out of 10,000 to be a social media model for its new dog food.

BARK sent a box full of treats, toys, and food for him as well as a small reward for Woodison.

"I would have never expected in a million years that he would have won something, but it is not a shock," she said. "He deserves to be recognized for how good of a dog he is."

Woodison adopted Toby when he was just six months old from the Pittsburg County Animal Shelter.

"They brought him out to me, and I held him and he just put his head to my head, and I knew immediately that this was going to be my boy," she said. "It was the best $20 I ever spent in my life."

Woodison said Toby's adoption came at a difficult time in her life.

"My grandmother had dementia and my grandfather was taking care of her and he unfortunately suffered a stroke back in 2019," she continued saying, "I just knew that I needed to come down here and help."

She moved to McAlester to be their caretaker and got Toby to help bring them comfort.

"He loves to cuddle so he was always right by their side, and he was so soft, that was their favorite thing. They loved to touch his ears because of how soft he was," she said.

When Woodison's grandparents passed away; she also leaned on Toby.

"It was a hard process seeing both my grandparents pass and I could not imagine doing it without him. His hugs are amazing and when he looks in my eyes it is just love, it is just pure love," she said.

Woodison is now using her story to encourage others to look for their companion in a shelter. "I am very big on 'adopt, do not shop,'" she added. "I believe in giving dogs and animals in general a second chance."

Toby will soon appear on BARK's website and social media pages.