This is the story of my baby, Cosmo. Cosmo was a beautiful Yorkshire Terrier born to Venus & Bailey. He was born in September 26, 1999. Cosmo was a special dog. Although he was born with a liver shunt that stunted his growth (he only weighed 3.7lbs) he was an energetic boy. He loved to play around with his green bear and he would always greet me with so much enthusiasm whenever I came home. I first came to know Cosmo when Dennis, my boyfriend, decided to give Cosmo to me when he was about two and a half years old. I already knew that Cosmo was a sick dog and that he would not live long like other Yorkshire Terriers, but I decided to take him in anyway. Prior to taking in Cosmo Dennis had spent lots of money on Cosmo. The doctors could not fix Cosmo's liver to 100% because Cosmo was so small. Dennis loved Cosmo very much, but he decided that Cosmo would be much happier living with me because I lived in a house with a big backyard. Liver shunts in Yorkshire Terriers are very common. A Liver Shunt is a condition in which a portion of the blood in the body by-passes the liver and goes directly to the heart. Toxins especially ammonia build up in the blood stream and the dog has seizures due to increased ammonia levels. The liver is usually smaller than normal and will have decreased liver function. After Cosmo had his surgery we needed to monitor his diet. He could only eat reduced-protein foods and we had to give him medication every day. However that did not stop his liver from building up toxins and making him sick. Whenever he got sick he would vomit and he would have seizures. It gave me a lot of pain to see him like that. When his seizures got bad, Dennis and I would go to the vet to see if they could make him better. Usually they did, but it came at a great cost. I was a university student during that time and it was very hard for me to come up with the money to pay for all his costs. However he was worth it. When he was back to his normal state he would be the sweetest dog. He would wake up with me, go to sleep with me, play with me, and wait for me to come home when I was out. I didn't realize how much love a dog could give until I met Cosmo. Every year Dennis and I would be so amazed and delighted that Cosmo survived. He was a fighter. The vet told us that Cosmo would not live to 1. But here he was at 5 years old. Unfortunately a month before his passing he started showing unusual behaviour. When he got sick he would no longer vomit and have seizures. Instead he would foam in the mouth and he would be very disoriented. We figured that the toxins in his liver were affecting his brain. Cosmo was always a well-trained dog, but he began to pee all over the house and his tail would always be down. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know it was enough to kill him. On November 4, 2004 at 2:30pm Cosmo died peacefully in his sleep. I still cannot believe that my baby is no longer here. No longer here to comfort me when I am sad and kiss me when I am happy. I still hug my pillow tight at night and wish that this is all a nightmare, but I know that Cosmo is now in a happy place where he is no longer in pain. I miss him so much… Cosmo, mommy will never forget you. Even though I am so sad I am so blessed for having the chance to know you during your short stay on Earth.