We inherited Pippy from our great-uncle in 2003. Pippy was flown from Florida to Colorado to join our family. He was 8 years old. He was very unsure of our daughter who was 5 at the time because he had never been around childre. When they met, they looked at each other, studied each other and slowly backed away, not sure of what to think. He settled in and became a funny, entertaining and loving member of the family. In 2004, he was diagnosed with heart worm. We are a family of faith and our daughter felt that what was important to her was important to God. The night before the risky procedure, she layed on the floor and prayed for Pippy with faith and tears. He went into the vets office the next morning to start treatment. 30 minutes later the vet calls and asks me to verify why Pippy was there. Then they asked me to come into the office. My daughters prayers were answered, no heart worm! He was our miricle dog from that day. He would talk to us daily. He would say 'bone' and 'hello' and would harass us every chance he got. One neighbor would bring him a treat every morning when she walked her dog. Everyone who knew Pippy loved him! In the early spring of 2011, Pippy was ridden with age and slowly began to decline. We gave him more treats than probably was recommended, but it is our way of loving him. We gave him pain meds that ended up not helping and we knew it was getting close. Some people would say he was just a dog, but to us he is a member of our family. This morning, June 29, 2011, we had to say good bye to our beloved dog, friend and family member. He will be missed by all that knew him and he will be in our hearts forever!!! <3<3