Sweetheart certainly lived up to her name. I never owned a sweeter dog! We kept Sweetheart because she had a heart murmur. The vets told us that she may not live very long. However, she well exceeded those expectations. 

Sweetheart was dignosed with ventral septal defect (VSD). She saw a cardiologist and had an ultra sound. Her examination showed a hole in the septum near the aortic valve.  The valve had been pulled into her defect and causes aortic insufficiency.

I never trialed Sweetheart in eathdog or agility, feeling that it may be too strenuous for her. Sweetheart never showed any signs of her defect. She was good at moderating her own activity.
 
We're glad that we kept Sweetheart and that she was blessed with 11 years of good health and longevity. 

We put Sweetheart down on June 1, 2007 due to a failing heart. God, bless you Sweetheart. The poem below has helped me work through my grief.

Dearest Sweetheart

   You have left our loving arms

   We don't ask or wonder why

   For we know you are free from harm

   And resting peacefully

   No pain or fear confronts you

   You’ve left that all behind

   Now little one, experience joy and freedom  

   Your eyes are bright; you’re breathing easy

   Your frail heart is now healed

   We embrace your memory; hold it tight

   As we wipe away our tears

   Our minds are filled with happy thoughts

   We say a thankful prayer

   For those many years God gave you

   That kept you in our care
                         Annette and George Neff