Tillie was precious in every way. She made everyone she met smile. She was intelligent beyond belief and even had a sense of humor. One of my favorite stories about Tillie was when we lived on the beach. Our condo had a long boardwalk to the beach. It was a remote beach and I could see in all directions from the balcony. I would never in a million years dream of letting a doggie run on the beach without me and/or a leash - - until I met Miss Tillie. I would go to the balcony and check for any one or any animals on the beach. If the coast was clear (no pun intended), I would let Tillie go. She would go to the beach and walk about 2-3K feet look up at me and get my approval on whether it was time to turn around. She never failed to take the command of a yes/no shake of the head. Then she would walk up to the water and put a paw in, look back at me and ask permission. If I shook the head yes, she would hit that water as hard as she could. Of course then I would walk on down to be with her. But if I shook my head no, she would head home. It was truly amazing and such a free-spirited special event. Those days are gone but will never be forgotten. I spent the last 2 years of Tillie's life trying to keep her well. She was a severe diabetic, had eye surgery to regain some vision, and had horrible stomach problems. Long story short, I have so much gratitude in my heart for the Veterinarians at Auburn Animal Hospital in Auburn, Alabama. I have never seen such love and dedication in an attempt to save my little baby. They went above and beyond. Tillie only lived a week or so after being in the hospital for 6 weeks. But I could never say thank you enough to those wonderful people at Auburn. Tillie you are missed greatly and will never be forgotten.