Turco's Store Owner Helps Pay for Surgery of Woman's Service Dog [Video]

Diana Embury calls her service dog Pate her best friend. He has been by her side for 10 years, but when three lumps appeared on the back of his leg, paw and face, preventing him from eating, drinking and walking, she knew she had to help him. 

Embury, who has cerebral palsy and relies on her wheelchair and service dog, placed a jar for donations on the counter of in Yorktown. The money she puts away every month to help pay for the dog's vaccinations and check ups, she said, would not have been enough to cover the costly surgery he needed.

When store owner Evelyn Turco saw the jar, which contained a quarter, she offered to pay for the surgery herself.

"At first I said it was too much," Embury said. "I started to cry because it's a big thing for someone to do."

Embury lives in nearby Beaver Ridge apartments, a complex for senior citizens and those with disabilities. She relies on Pate to pick things up for her from the ground, to pull the emergency cord in her bathroom if she needs to call for help, and he has saved her a couple of times from falling, she said. 

"The only thing she has is this dog," Turco said of the lunchtime regulars at the store. "She loves this dog."

Pate had his operation a few weeks ago with Dr. Anthony Cillis of Hanover Square Veterinary Clinic in Yorktown, who removed the growths. Turco said the veterinary doctor also helped by reducing the price for the surgery. 

Turco said both women cried when they spoke about Pate and the donations for his surgery.

"My wife is an animal lover," Preston Turco said about his wife and added that she donates money to animal shelters and the ASPCA. "That's the type of person she is. She is a very loving and caring person."

Embury, as she snuggled with her dog Pate, said he is a good companion and they have both come to rely on each other. As for Turco and her generous donation, she could not thank her enough.

"There is no way I'm going to pay Evelyn [Turco] back for what she did," Embury said. "It's phenomenal. There are no words. 'Thank you' doesn't seem adequate."

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