Mention the phrase golf course dog, and Toto of Wizard of Oz fame is hardly the first mutt that comes to mind.
Dorothy's pup might not roam the fairways of Foxfire Golf and Country Club in Jackson Springs, North Carolina, but his bleached lookalike, Chloe, does.
Chloe is a 5-year-old Cairn terrier (the same breed as Toto) that Foxfire superintendent Mario Copeland inherited when his neighbor, and the dog's previous owner, Maria Lyle-purdy, passed away a little more than two years ago.
Ever since, Chloe has not left Copeland's side - literally. Despite her diminutive stature, Chloe rides with Copeland everywhere - on a mower or spray rig, and in his utility vehicle. And when Chloe isn't riding, she's usually on the course somewhere greeting golfers.
"If I don't bring her with me, she gives me that look," Copeland said.
"If members don't see her for a couple of days, they think something is wrong and ask me where she is."
Chloe came to Foxfire five years ago, when Lyle-purdy, an elderly woman who lived next door to Copeland in a condo in the golf community, wanted a companion.
Copeland, 49, has worked at Foxfire for 27 years, including four as superintendent, 10 as assistant and 13 seasons on the crew. In that time, Copeland, who also lives at the golf course, befriended his elderly neighbor. When the time came to go to Charleston, South Carolina to pick out a pup from a litter of Toto wannabes, Copeland accompanied his neighbor and friend.
"She was lonely. She didn't have anyone," Copeland said.
"When she fell and broke her hip, I took care of her."
Copeland was out of town when Lyle-purdy died at home two-and-a-half years ago, and the dog was alone in her unit for a week until her body was discovered. Chloe was taken to the pound by authorities, and Copeland hurried to get the dog before someone else did in an effort to make good on a vow he had made to his neighbor.
"I always promised her that I would take the dog if something happened to her," Copeland said.
"When I found out she was at the pound, I rushed right over there."
Although Copeland has known Chloe since the beginning, the two are now inseparable.
"Mario lives alone and then this dog comes into his life. Now, he's like a doting father," said Foxfire project manager Rick Tufts. "He was never like that before.
"They're a perfect match. They feed off each other."
Copeland describes Chloe as a friendly and fearless beast.
"The golfers love her and bring her treats," he said.
"When a hurricane came through here, I'd been on a backhoe and got on the golf cart to look for her. I found her swimming in the pond. That dog is scared of nothing."
