Terry, the four-legged superstar, has graced our screens as Toto in the iconic movie The Wizard of Oz. But is there is more to this canine celebrity than first meets the eye?

German-born Carl Spitz was a dog trainer during the First World War. He would send his dogs out to the front, retrieving soldiers from no man’s land. Much of his expertise came from his father and his grandfather who were also trainers in Heidelberg. However, when Spitz was 32 years old, he decided to venture further afield to America. It was in Los Angeles that he founded his Hollywood dog training school, where he would create his superstar, Terry.

When Spitz met Terry, she was not the stereotypical canine phenomenon. Her owners had taken her to the school as she had a problem wetting the rug. After Spitz had successfully taught Terry, he tried to contact the owners… to no avail. He was left with no choice but to adopt Terry, as the Spitz’s family pet. Little did they know how this one Cairn Terrier would be soon be the greatest dog they would ever train…

Terry was put on a salary of $125 a week, surpassing the Munchkin’s meagre $50 sum

During this time, Spitz was training many dogs. The first big film he was assigned to was Call of the Wild, with Buck, a Saint Bernard, who was a huge hit. Photoplay magazine claimed he ‘almost [stole] the show’ from the lead actors Clark Gable, Loretta Young and Jack Oakie. Spitz operated using a series of silent hand gestures. This meant that he could command the dog without interfering with the audio, which was a huge benefit when filming. Having got a reputation for himself, Spitz was invited to meetings with Hollywood producers. He introduced Terry to them and afterwards offered her to star in a new film Bright Eyes with Shirley Temple. Temple was overjoyed when she got to meet Terry, who befriended her Pekinese dog ‘Ching-Ching’.

After starring in a number of films, including The Dark Angel with Fredric March, MGM asked Spitz to audition Terry for The Wizard of Oz. Her superb training made her the perfect candidate for the film, and she was put on a salary of $125 a week, surpassing the Munchkin’s meagre $50 sum. The cast was delighted with her; Judy Garland even attempted to buy her, which Spitz dutifully refused. Terry was invited to the Gruman’s Chinese Theatre, where she walked the red carpet with the actors.

Now, Terry is buried in Hollywood’s Forever Cemetery, alongside her beloved co-star Judy Garland. There, many remember her for her stardom, as the little dog who achieved big things.