Hello Mark. To be honest with you, I had never listened to your show until last night. I got into my car and had it on talk radio and heard you talking about Sprite. I cried like a baby the entire commute home simply because I also have a story about a wonderful little guy named “Shadow”. My husband and I were blessed with Shadow in July of 1992 while living in England. Shadow was a black Scottish Terrier who was a loving, stubborn, fiesty Scot and we loved every ounce of him. Shadow was diagnosed with diabetes in 2001 and went blind shortly after his diagnosis. Our vet told us that he would most likely not live another year simply because maintaining the insulin shots is a challenge with a pet. We made a promise to give Shadow the best care for the remainder of time we were given with him. We rescued another Scottie, Huckleberry, to be Shadow’s “seeing eye dog” and it worked. Shadow NEVER accepted other dogs prior to Huck and he took Huck in as if he knew that he was there to take care of him. To make a long story short, Shadow lived another FIVE years with diabetes(two shots of insulin each day) and blindness and during those five years, he was full of life and vigor. He began to decline during the last six months of his life and we had to make the worst decision for us but the best decision for Shadow on October 23, 2005. I have never in my life experienced the pain and heartache that I experienced that day and every day since his death. I often sit with his first toy “Mr. Mouse” and the clipping that we took of his silver beard before we let him go and I cry just as if it were that day in October 2005. Shadow taught me patience and unconditional love and I am most thankful to have had him in my life. Huckleberry is still with us and he has allowed us many happy moments which reminds us of Shadow.

Becky from Texas