Chef Tom Colicchio's Favorite Patron? His Pup Piper!

When Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio brings home white anchovies from his New York City restaurant Colicchio & Sons, he doesn't share them with his wife or sons, but with his flat-coated retriever, Piper. "Tom spoils her the worst," his wife Lori Silverbush tells PEOPLEPets.com. "She's our baby girl!"

The 16-month-old pup definitely enjoys living the high life, thanks to her famous family and the love they share. "She is zany, goofy, incredibly people-oriented," says Silverbush. "If she could, she would be playing 23 out of every 24 hours."

Piper came into the family's life as a puppy. "When we decided to get a dog, I didn't want to get a lab since there are so many out there," Colicchio says. "I called the flat-coated retriever society — I remembered seeing the breed up in Rhode Island — and the president told me there was a guy in Goshen, N.Y., who'd just bred his champion." Colicchio contacted the breeder, who emailed him photos of the litter — and he instantly fell in love. "Lori took a trip out to meet her, and said 'She's the one.' "

Though the couple just welcomed son Luka in August and together help raise Colicchio's son Dante, 16, from a previous relationship, Piper fits perfectly into the family. "She sleeps between Tom and I when we let her, and hogs the blankets," Silverbush says. But it's Dante who's her favorite, says Silverbush. "Whenever she hears his name she looks at his room." The baby, however, is a bit more of a challenge. "She loves him to pieces, but thinks he's a notch lower in the pack than she is," she laughs.

That's not to say the beloved pooch isn't above any normal doggie antics. Last year, she had a one-sided fight with Silverbush's Blackberry, leaving the phone as a "mere remnant of its former self," she recalls. "The next day my best friend called me and said, 'You called me accidentally last night and all I could hear was some grunting and heavy breathing. I hung up really fast.' We got a laugh out of that!"

But despite any quirks, Piper is always there to bring out the best in her family members. "When it's just me, Dante, Luka and Piper at home, Tom blossoms," gushes Silverbush. "He turns into a mushy teddy bear."

Meet more celebrity pups on PEOPLEPets.com:
Olympic Gold Medalist Steven Holcomb Adopts a Golden Retriever!
What's More Awesome Than Shaun White's Gold Medals? His Dog Rambo!

Kate Hogan with reporting by Liza Hamm