06/04/2026
This owner was devastated when she returned home after an hour to find her beloved Boxer named Toby had suffocated in a Ziploc bag of kibble. Tara Wolfinger writes, "I have been with almost every single one of my animals when it was time to euthanize. I counted 11 and that doesn’t include my guinea pigs that dropped dead. It happens. 🤷🏽♀️ I didn’t include my time working at vets or my 2 weeks at the SPCA when I was 18 and it was still a kill shelter. I did not get to do that with Toby.
I have been trying my absolute best to hold it together. To grieve and process Toby. Anyone that knows me well knows I never wanted kids, I wanted animals. All the dogs and anything else I could save starting when I was a kid. I have only spoken about what happened to Toby to close friends and family as the guilt kills me. But now I’ve come to the realization then I cannot hold it in and even though I have done my best for 2 months even meeting with my therapist, I am still struggling hard to my core.
I had Toby at the vet to remove the cancerous tumors, I brought him every single day for 2 weeks for bandage changes and follow ups. I am the most careful and ocd person with my animals and even ones I watch. I left Toby for about an hour and found him suffocated in a Ziploc bag of kibble I had brought up the previous week. I don’t know how he got it I don’t know why he did it. I know he was a goober and kept us on our toes but I left the bag upstairs. He hadn’t bothered it all weekend and then I leave him for an hour and he found it. I screamed and did CPR but I knew it was too late, he was warm but gone. I knew the compressions were useless. I am not okay and I am struggling beyond words. He did pass directly under my grandmothers picture so I hold a little hope she was there with him.
I’m putting this all out there not looking for sympathy or empathy but to get it out. More than 3/4 of my friends and family are animal lovers. If anything use this as a warning to never leave Ziploc bags or chip bags anywhere. So now I’m processing, I’m getting it off my chest, I’m going back to therapy and a grief support group. I’m going to be vocal and I’m just not going to hold it in anymore. I’m not okay but I know I have more animals to save and my crew still needs me. Who else would take their girl for laser arthritis treatments?
Toby you are so missed and you will never be forgotten. You were a goober beyond words and I really do hope you are at peace and pain free. I’ll see you again my guy with all the treats in the world."
"He hadn’t bothered it (the Ziploc bag) all weekend and then I leave him for an hour and he found it." Dogs are predictably unpredictable. We never know when they might show interest in something they have typically ignored before. So, we remind everyone to stay vigilant and always check you home, garage, yard and vehicles for suffocation risks. Please share in memory of Toby. Thank you.
www.preventpetsuffocation.com
