RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. -- If you’ve ever lost a pet as a child you know how heartbreaking it can be. The same is true for a 2-year-old girl who will never see her dog, Toby again.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case after the dog was discovered in a pond, disfigured.
Sheriff Robert Graves said it's hard to determine what happened to Toby, a Siberian Husky who went missing around January 11th. The last time he was seen, was in the Rice family's yard, playing in the snow. He was found the following Saturday in a pond on private property. Now, investigators will try to use forensic evidence to piece together what might have happened to the family pet.
“Whether it was done by an intentional act or whether it was done by an automobile or something like that," said Graves.
The moments leading up to discovering Toby were stressful for the Rice family. Shannon Rice said they received Toby from Florida when he was three-months-old. Although the young pup was extremely loving, Toby had a special fondness for Olivia, Shannon's 2-year-old grand-daughter.
“He’s been with Olivia since. He never left her side," Shannon said. “He would wake her up when she was asleep. He couldn’t stand to see her sleep. He would go kiss her.”
Toby came into Olivia's life as someone was leaving it; her father died in July of 2016.
“And the dog had a really big part in everybody healing," said Shannon.
When Toby went missing, Shannon and the community went on a massive search for the beloved animal.
“Just on one vehicle we put 400 miles between Wednesday and Saturday."
But, soon, she received a call from someone saying they found Toby. Shannon said when she went to see Toby, she could barely recognize him.
“I never imagined it were turn up like this cause he was so pretty and so friendly. I just thought someone maybe wanted him. I never would have thought someone would hurt him," said Shannon in a low voice.
After hearing of Toby's mysterious death, the sheriff's office stepped in to rally around Olivia and her family.
Graves said, “The case touched our heart because obviously we want to protect our children and it was very upsetting to the family and to Olivia.”
On Friday, the Sheriff’s Office surprised both Olivia and Shannon. The family was invited to the Sheriff’s Office to have breakfast with a deputy. They were greeted by K-9 Deputy Dan and his handler, Deputy Randall Purvis.
Sheriff Graves gave Olivia, a stuffed animal in remembrance of Toby.
“We wanted to find an animal as close to that to give her so we went to the North Carolina Zoo and found a Siberian Husky puppy," said Graves.
After talking to staff at The North Carolina Zoo Society, Graves learned the zoo would gift the family a one-year membership. The Randolph County Animal Shelter has also offered to give them a cost-free adoption. The Blue Flint Animal Hospital is stepping in to provide medical care for up to 6 months for the family if they decide to adopt.
However, Rice said it's still too soon to ever consider a new pet. The hurt is still fresh, the cause of Toby's death is still unknown and 2-year-old Olivia still searches for her best friend.
“I try to tell her Toby is in Heaven with Daddy and she gets mad and yells no. Every time we get in the car she’s yelling for Toby because she was in the car when we were out looking for him," said Shannon.
If you have any information about Toby please call 336-318-6699.
