A dog is more than just a pet. They are a loyal companion, a best friend, and a member of the family.

The story of Terrence is quite an interesting one. He was an "accident." When his mother was taken to the vet to get fixed, they discovered that she was pregnant. We picked him out because he was clearly the laziest of the litter, and felt that it would fit in pretty well with our family (we aren't exactly a super active bunch).

When it came time to pick out a name, my stepdad decided to let my little sister pick it. She suggested "Terrence" and my stepdad instantly agreed because he loved how unique it was. My sister waited until after the name stuck to admit that she had gotten the name from the Tinker Bell movies.

It didn't take Terrence long to fit right into the family. As long as you are holding him or near him, he's happy. He's convinced that he is a lap dog, even though he weighs nearly 70 pounds.

While we all know that he is a total baby, that doesn't stop him from acting as our protector. Even if that means that he barks and growls at every squirrel that dares to enter our yard and acts as if he is going to tackle anyone who walks through our front door (right before he licks them to death).

We have been blessed to have Terrence in our life for the past six years, and I hope that we are able to have him for many more. My parents call him their "son" and our "brother" rather than the dog.

On his chart at the vet, he is labeled as a "big baby." He gets greeted by name by every worker at Pets Supplies Plus whenever we bring him in for a bath. The neighborhood kids come to our house to ask if they can play with him. We live on a golf course and several of the golfers greet him by name if he is out in the yard. Some will even throw him one of their golf balls. He leaves an impression on everyone he meets, and he is definitely left an impression on us.

A dog is more than just a pet. They're family.