Bianca passed away in April 2012, almost 4 months to the day after being diagnosed with lymphoma. Going bravely through round after round of chemo, she fought. And we believed. A few days before she was due to participate in an experimental study at UPenn - our last resort - the cancer took over. We lost the fight.

She would have turned 6 in June.

Here is how we will always remember her, written by my daughter Clara :

"She ate wallets, shoes, and umbrellas. She slept on her back, with her legs running through the air. She winked, sat at the dinner table, and was genuinely convinced she was human. She ate from our plates, and learned how to open the fridge. She unwrapped her own presents at Christmas. She wound her way into all of our beds, leaving a trail of white hair behind her. She drank from the toilet bowl and liked to hang out in the bathtub. She shredded water bottles, yogurt cups, canned goods, and toilet paper all over the living room. She barked with fear at bath mats, balloons, and almost any dog that came near her. She nibbled feet and yawned to show off her missing teeth. She left her ‘mark’ on every carpet. She didn't swim or fetch the ball, but knew to be in kitchen at dinnertime. She was a snoozer, a sunbather, a treat eater - a lady who wriggled her behind with mischief.

If she didn't want to walk, she didn't. If she was hungry (which was often), she let you know. If she sprawled out over you, she felt no need to budge.

She was no ordinary dog. And she will be missed."