Mom and dad went out to the store to pick up ice for a party we were having and the Sunday paper. They came home without the paper or the ice but with a puppy; we forgave them ;o) She was picked out of a box in front of the grocery store, the people said she was a mix of Great Dane, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd and Labrador Retriever. Nipper was a fabulous hunter with a fantastic nose; she liked to herd wild boar back to us when they would run! Her favorite thing was to retrieve rocks you threw in the water; she never failed to bring just the rock you threw either! We still haven't figured out how she could scent under water yet...

Nipper contracted a virus that destroyed most of her stomach enzymes (supposedly it was not transmittable; she caught it off another dog!). During the time we were trying to find her diagnosis she went from a muscular 94 pound powerhouse to a 75 pound walking skeleton. She was within 3 pounds of our 'cut' weight before our new vet at South Novato Animal Hospital found out what was wrong; otherwise we would have had her euthanized. She ended up with an enzyme supplement being added to her food daily, the amount of which was equivalent to feeding 3 full-grown Great Danes (@ 10 cups). Her body finally gave out when she turned 9. She is greatly missed...