Mark,
I want to thank you for your appearance on Hannity & Colmes last night. I lost my beloved Emmit on December 6, 2006, about 12 hours before you lost Sprite. Emmit’s death was totally unexpected and shocking. I had taken him to the vet at 6:00 p.m. to check a lump that I had found deep under his throat. It was probably a thyroid tumor, and they asperated some fluid from it to send to the lab for testing. He was fine and we went back hom; however, shortly after I got him home, his breathing became extremely labored and by the time I rushed him back to the vet, it was too late, He was still alive, but it appeared that the tumor had most likely ruptured and he was bleeding into his chest cavity. There was nothing they could do and I finally decided to have him put to sleep about 9:00 p.m. Until I heard your story last night, I thought I had gone off the deep end and was close to crazy because I then experienced the same profound sadness, shock and depression that you described and mine also lasted for weeks and months. My brain was telling me I was being completely irrational, but my heart was simply broken and sad beyond belief and it was very difficult for me to try to make sense out of it. I soon came to realize, though, much in the same way that you did, just how deeply I was affected by my dog’s love, friendship and total devotion and that it was something I had never experienced before and something I should not try to discount. I soon realized that all my emotions and feelings were not only real but valid and I allowed myself to grieve as long as it took and refused to “try to put it behind me” as everyone around me was hoping and praying I would. It changed my life and I still grieve today, including right now as I type these words. I take time every day to think about the short time I had with Emmit. He too was a shelter rescue dog and I only had him for four years, but I know he will be with me always. In the days after his death I made as many notes as I could about all the memories that were flooding my mind and I am going to write his story in a journal for myself. You were so lucky to have such understanding friends and colleagues to support you. I wasn’t so lucky since my husband thought it was best that he tell my children, family and friends not to “talk about the dog” in the hopes that I would get over it. That left me thinking no one cared about how painful my loss had been. My children had never seen me in such a state and I couldn’t understand why they seemed to be making every effort to ignore what had happened. By the time I realized my husband had orchestrated a moratorium on anyone speaking to me about the dog, it was well past the time when anyone could offer anything to help. So I never got to talk about the good times or the funny stories or what other people felt about his life or his death and that’s something I can’t ever get back. A couple of friends did get to me with a note or a card and the only person who truly helped me through it all was my wonderful next door neighbor who just kept coming over and visiting with me and reminiscing, and I will be grateful to her forever for being so kind and understanding. She was as much a part of my dog’s life as I was because he also adored her and her two boys. I met those neighbors one month after I adopted Emmit and the first thing they asked me was if they could take him on a picnic. He went and they became fast friends from that first meeting and when he died, my neighbor grieved just as much as I did because it was like we shared him. When she finally learned what had happened, she called me late one night because she was crying and couldn’t sleep. She came right over and when I saw her, after we hugged and cried for a long time, she said “he was my kids’ dog.” And he really was. It was amazing to me how much closer they were to my dog than my own family members were. But I will always have all those wonderful memories of sharing my special Emmit with them. I’m really doing much better now, although I know the one-year anniversary is looming. I adopted another shelter dog last February and he is a wonderful little friend to me now. I learned so much from losing my very special Emmit, and I am now a volunteer with a wonderful local shelter and I have lots of new dog people in my life. It is so rewarding for me to help throw-away dogs find new homes. So I am doing just what you asked of people last night on Hannity. I’m helping pets find new homes and working hard to spread the word about breeders. I can’t wait to buy your book and I just wanted to thank you again and tell you that now I feel normal and justified in my grief. I hope that some day I will be near one of your book signings because having you sign my book would mean so much to me. Best of luck with the sale of the book and thank you so much for your contributions to all the shelters you will help. All animal shelters need help and always will, but the best thing animals in shelters have going for them is that they are being cared for by people who love them all. All the best!

Eileen from New York\