I received a copy of Rescuing Sprite for Christmas and finished reading it the same night. I can relate to the story from two perspectives…the first being as a rescue volunteer and foster mom. We devote our time to vetting and training our foster pups so they will have the best chance in finding their forever home. And the perfect forever home in my eyes in one like the Levin’s – a family who realizes that a dog is a lifetime commitment and will spare no expense to make sure the pup is happy and healthy until the end. The Levin family also deserves kudos for adopting pups that would (by most group’s standards) be considered “hard to place.” Good homes for older dogs are hard to come by, but when you find one, they’re always amazing.

My second perspective is as a dog lover…and as someone who lost a beloved pet almost exactly one year ago. Pepper was my husband’s dog when we married so the two of them had been together for almost 15 years when Pepper passed away last January. Pepper had battled mitral valve prolapse for the better part of his adult life and it eventually led to congestive heart failure. Like the Levins, we tried countless medications and therapies for Pepper, but in the end we made the difficult decision to have him humanely euthanized. We knew it was the right thing for Pepper…but that didn’t make the sorrow or the grief any easier for us to deal with. Like Pepsi, our dogs also mourned Pepper’s passing. I was amazed at how the death of one dog could change the entire dynamic of a household that rarely has fewer than seven dogs at any given time. Pepper’s death affected each of us differently, but all of us were affected profoundly.

To the Levin family: the rescuer in me thanks you sincerely for giving Sprite (and now Griffen) the life that every rescuer hopes for, and the life that every dog deserves. Animal rescue is all too often overlooked by people searching for a dog – I hope Sprite’s story changes that. The dog lover in me shares your sorrow and thanks you for sharing Sprite’s story with the world. 15 months or 15 years…it’s never long enough.

Godspeed sweet Sprite – I hope you’ve met Pepper on the other side.

Kristi from AL