While reading Rescuing Sprite to my blind husband it was so hard to read without crying.

Duke, my 10 yr old Doberman was the biggest baby. He was so gentle, thought he was a lap dog. Like you said in Sprite, he was always there for me with kisses, patients, love and when my depression kicked in he would just be there. He would get in my lap and the kisses would be bountiful.

One night I found a lump on his throat. The vet did a biopsy on it, but it was clear. Where the growth was it just couldn’t be removed without Duke bleeding to death. the vet said just love him, take the best care of him you can and when the time is right he’ll let you know. Duke was so special to me with the love he had for me and my cats. They all slept together.

One morning as always, he licked my hand to let me know he had to go out. I said ok, I’m getting up. I went to pet him and he nipped me. Then I knew it was time, I called the vet who set up an appointment for us. It was the last appointment of the morning. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. When Duke was given the shot, he was laying in my lap and I cried so hard. The last thing he did was give me a kiss letting me know that it was time and it was alright. I waited almost a year before getting another dog. There was an ad in the paper. I went to look at this Doberman, looked just like Duke (both didn’t have their ears cropped). The family had health issues and couldn’t take care of him.

I brought Buddy home that night. When my husband and I got married 2 yrs ago, I moved to Vermont. I couldn’t bring Buddy but one of the girls at work said she would take him and love him as much as I did. I spoke to her last week and buddy now has a girlfriend (a Dobbie) and she said he protects her just like he did me. Losing or leaving you animals I feel is harder than leaving a friend. I have 2 cats who treat me the same as Duke and Buddy did unconditional with all the love in the world. Rescuing Sprite is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, plenty of tears,kleenex and a hard time reading it to my husband. Thank you for such a book and believe me I know how you felt and still feel.

Edna from VT