Hi Mark, I just finished your book about Sprite. My family got it for me for Christmas. Animals touch our lives in such special ways.

I grew up with dogs. They will always be a part of my life. My husband and I got a chow puppy when we were in college and planning to be married in 1985. We named him Beau because he was so beautiful.

We had him for 14 and a half years. I know chows have a reputation for being mean but this was the most gentle chow you can ever imagine. He went with us through 5 moves around the country. Every new vet he went to in each new place said he was the nicest chow they had ever encountered, never a bit of aggression. At the end he was completely deaf, had arthritis and was dealing with other old age problems but he handled it all with such dignity. We lost him in Nov. 1999.

We got a wonderful welsh corgi puppy whom we named Katie when Beau was 9. She went through several moves with us also. She and Beau got along so well. We lost Katie last year right before Thanksgiving to kidney disease. That was the worst as you can identify because she was sick and there was nothing we could do but watch her deteriorate. But she was 12 and their ages let me know we took good care of them. That pleases me and gives me some comfort. But I miss them terribly. And so often I imagine how soft their fur was and remember all the silly things they did.

It has been a year and I am ready for a new dog. We are going to take a 5 yr golden retriever named Sadie into our home. Her owner is ill and cannot care for her. We are so looking forward to having a dog again. Thank you for sharing your story. It’s nice to know others feel the same way about our incredible animals.

Peggy from OH