Vinnie’s name was derived from Alvina, which stands for “noble friend”. The name also means “A lady strong of heart, loyal, and wise.” She was all of that and more.

            We drove to West Virginia, in 1997 to get Vinnie. We spent some time with the litter and their owner, and then we left to go get some lunch and talk about the pups. While at lunch we both knew we wanted to bring her home, which is one of the better decisions we have made!

            Vinnie never let a moment go by that she wasn’t entertaining to us. As a pup, she had her own race course which consisted of running upstairs down the hall, wiggling in behind the waterbed and coming out at the other end then down the stairs, around the kitchen table, through the family room, up over the couch, and start over again. Sometimes she was going so fast her paws just barely hit the back of the couch flying through mid-air and then she would land back on the floor and keep right on going back up the stairs, etc. We never did figure out why she did that and she eventually outgrew the races.

            To all of Vinnie’s caretakers, groomers, her veterinary and his staff, we thank you with our hearts as big as hers was. She had exemplary care all of her days. Vinnie’s life with us began during a flood ended during a flood. She was 14 years, 3 months and 11 days old. We feel very fortunate to have had her that long. Vinnie had a wonderful life and she added so much to our lives. She had a great personality and of course, like most dogs, an unconditional love. Vinnie truly was “a lady strong of heart, loyal, and wise.”