Toby, a loyal rescue dog living in Canada, has always been more than just a pet to Ruth Hamilton — he's her constant companion. But one night, he became something much more: her unlikely hero.
Around 11:30 p.m., while Hamilton was sound asleep in bed, Toby suddenly barked — loud and urgent, as if trying to wake her.
“He barked twice, as if to say, ‘Get up!’” Hamilton told The Dodo. “It was a loud bark. My family likes to believe he caused me to roll over.”
That small act may have saved her life.
Just moments later, a thunderous crash shook the room. A meteorite had plummeted from the sky, smashing through the roof of Hamilton’s home — and landing almost exactly where she’d just been lying.
“I jumped out of bed. I was totally uninjured,” Hamilton said. “Toby stopped barking, and I thought, ‘Did that really just happen?’”
Shaken but safe, Hamilton quickly reported the incident. It was later confirmed that the rock was, indeed, a meteorite — with other locals having witnessed a fireball streaking across the night sky.
But how did Toby know something was coming?
Experts suggested that dogs’ heightened hearing might have picked up the sonic boom often produced when a meteor enters Earth’s atmosphere.
Toby, always alert to wildlife or approaching vehicles, may have reacted instinctively to the subtle signs of danger — just in time.
The damage to the home will need repairs, but the near-miss has left Hamilton with deep gratitude for her watchful pup.
“Toby has been great company. I love him,” she said. Then, with a laugh, she added: “My grandkids think Paw Patrol should make an episode about him.”
Whether or not Toby ends up on TV, he’s already earned his title as a real-life hero — guarding not just against everyday dangers, but even the occasional cosmic one.
