Meet Little Mr. Toot Turley

When Vickie Turley's oldest son, then 13, decided to live with his dad in Georgia, it left a hole in her heart. She started talking with her husband, Rocky, about maybe getting a little dog to help her cope with her loss.

That was 11 years ago. About that same time, Vickie's mom asked if she's accompany her to a yard sale to look at a bedroom set she'd seen advertised in the paper.

Vickie recalls, "I really didn't want to get up, get dressed and go to a yard sale for someone else. But I did. I talked my husband, Rocky, into going with me. We pulled up to the sale and there, right in the front yard in a small cage, sat the cutest little puppy I'd ever seen. I tried not to look at him, knowing I was there for a bedroom set. We talked to the people who explained that the bedroom set had already been sold. Then we talked to them about the puppy."

The puppy was a Maltese/Yorkie cross. He was the last of a litter that the yard sale couple's daughter had, and she had been unable to find him home.

[Dear Readers: the responsible breeder in me shudders at the notion of putting a puppy in a yard sale. I just had to say it.]

But Fate had a hand to play, and thank goodness it was a winning one. When the yard sale couple mentioned that their daughter thought the puppy might just be what someone needed, Vickie took it as a sign from heaven.

Vickie's husband figured it was time to go, since they came to see a bedroom set and there wasn't one. On the drive home, Vickie was very quiet.

"About halfway home, Rocky asked if I really wanted that puppy," Vickie recalls. "I told him, ‘Yes, please!' So we turned around, went back to the yard sale and came home with a new puppy and an amazing addition to our family."

Initially, Rocky was not thrilled about the whole idea of getting an indoor dog. He warned his wife that the dog would be her dog and not to expect him to have anything to do with it.

Vickie smiled. "It took Toot two whole days until Rocky was completely wrapped around Toot's little paw. He just loves this dog."

Toot does not show his age. His eyes shine, his tail never stops wagging and he smiles with great good cheer from his perch on Vickie's lap. As she strokes him absently, she says, "I don't believe in coincidence. I believe we were meant to go to that yard sale and we were meant to have Toot. He has spent the last 11 years being spoiled and becoming the king of our household.

"I have health problems, and he is always right by my side when I am sick," Vickie adds. "He loves me unconditionally, and I can't imagine our family without him. Our four boys grew up with him and he loves them without question."

There is no question that the little dog and the lovely lady absolutely adore each other. "Toot brought me out of a deep depression and he is the delight of our family," Vickie explains. "He brings us joy and he enriches our lives. I am so grateful to my mother for calling me that morning long ago."

Rock on, Toot!

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