About Our Mascot - Troy
Troy was born on April 5th 1998, and passed away quietly in
his sleep on his bed by the window on October 18th 2006.

In 1998 while Nick was in Greece, he decided it would be the perfect time to get a dog. One day on his lunch break he figured he would go and check out a German pet store. As he walked in he saw two boxers in the same pen. One was a female and the other a male. The female was jumping up and down and at one point the male having had enough of that lifted his paw and touched the female. He seemed a very calm dog so Nick figured that the male would be perfect for him because he wanted a dog with a calm temperament.

After work he drove back to the pet shop and took Troy home. Nick was thrilled and Troy was constantly by his side. Coincidentally when Nick looked at Troy's certificate he noticed that they both were born on the same day.

The first night at the apartment Troy went straight into the bathroom to lay down on the cold tiled floor. The next day he still didn't want to leave the bathroom and come out to play which Nick thought was very strange for a puppy, so he called the vet. The vet said "Don't worry, just mix together raw eggs, milk and sugar and give it to him." Now this was Nick's first dog but he knew that didn't sound right, so he called another vet and they told him to bring Troy in the next day.

After a sleepless night they went to the doctor's office. The vet took one look at Troy and told Nick to take Troy back and get a refund. She said he is extremely sick, malnourished and he might not even make it through the rest of the day. But Nick had already bonded with Troy and there was no way he would part with him. He told her to do whatever she could to make him better. They kept Troy for ten days in the hospital.

Nick was miserable. Troy was diagnosed with a heart problem. Slowly, day by day Troy began to get stronger and stronger. But still he would always be out of breath. Finally it was time for Nick to come back to the States with Troy, so he had to go to get papers from the vet. When the vet saw Troy she couldn't believe how much better Troy looked and a huge smile lit up her face.

When Nick arrived back home he took Troy straight away for tests. Troy was diagnosed with severe pulmonic sthenosis and was put on medication twice a day. Even the best heart surgeons did not recommend an operation as anesthesia would have been out of the question. Only the left side of Troy's heart was working, one of his valves was very small and the other one only functioned 50%.

Doctors called him a miracle dog and could not believe how Troy could have survived so many years with such a serious condition. Everyday that Troy was with us we considered a blessing and a gift from God.

He will always have a special place in
our hearts and will be never forgotten