Spippy is a 1-year-old Jack Russell Terrier in Maggie Valley, NC, who needs $2,000 for Balloon Valvuloplasty.

Spippy is a one year old Jack Russell Terrier that lives with his Chihuahua "brother" and human sister with Autism. He has such an unusual name because his human sister gave it to him! He has a congenital heart disorder called pulmonary stenosis and he needs surgery , a balloon valvuloplasty, to extend his life! For now he is a happy little fellow, but could go into heart failure at any moment.

Spippy loves to play with his "brother" and they love to run in the yard and he particularly likes to dig for bugs! Of course, once he finds them, they scare him and he jumps in the air. He could be an agility dog, if his heart would allow it because he is a natural jumper and glider. What he loves the most is to sit on our lap and snuggle with everyone.

Both my husband and I are teachers and this was quite unexpected. When they told us he had a heart murmur we expected it to be benign and were not expecting it to cost so much to fix.

Spippy was born with a congenital heart defect called pulmonary stenosis. It is a very common disorder and many dogs can live a long life with it, however Spippy's is severe and therefore he needs a surgery called a balloon valvuloplasty which will insert a balloon into his pulmonary artery to open it up.

He makes us smile all the time with his carefree personality! Even the cardiologist, who sees many dogs, instantly fell in love with him, she said it was the pointy ears. I have had many dogs in my life, but Spippy has the BEST personality of any dog that I have ever owned. He is loving, he has a great spirit and he is just happy all of the time. It is a joy to have him in our lives.