Duke was the first born of the litter. His mother, through lack of experience, didn't know what to do, so Duke was found on the floor at 5:30 in the morning, still in his sack! Even though he was 8 years old when he died, he was very much a puppy. We blamed it on the lack of oxygen at his birth! He had a passion for tennis balls. We would chew on them until they broke in half, then he would take the half ball and balance it up on end with his nose on the arm of the chair or couch. When you said something to him about the ball, he would get all excited and bop it across the floor and then chase after it. He would do this over and over again. He was definitely the "Omega" dog! The first to play and the last to eat. I never thought that I could love an animal as much as I loved that dog. It's been a year already but the pain feels like it was only yesterday. Duke was taken from us so quickly. He was diagnosed with IMHA on July 3rd and on July 4th he lost his battle. I've tried to find something positive in his loss by holding an annual yard sale every year in memory of Duke. We donate all of the proceeds to the Morris Animal Foundation, which is doing research in IMHA. Maybe someday they will find a cure and not one more dog will have to ends its life if such a horrible way.