Rescuring Sprite was such an awesome book. Mark, thank you for writing it. A friend bought it for me after my dog, Brinkley, suddenly passed away. He was our very best friend. He was only 4 years old and went to have his ACL repaired. He died on the operating table (as soon as they put him under). An autopsy showed he had a bad heart. We are truly devastated. He died the day after Thanksgiving; it’s been 6 weeks and we still sob for him. I broke down once again this morning. I miss him terribly.

I know exactly how your family felt, Mark. They are your best friends and part of your family. Only a dog lover could possibly understand what they mean to you. It’s like losing one of my children. My kids use to tease that he was my favorite. He was always there for me. When I felt down, he knew it and would comfort me. He was always there to greet all of us when we came home. He loved us all differently. I bought a stone for the yard with his picture on it for my husband and made a beautiful scrap book for my children. Christmas was extremly sad for us–we had his empty stocking hung just like you did. His ashes sit on my entertainment center with 2-8×10 pictures (one when he was a puppy and one as an adult). His memory will live on forever.

Terri from PA