Mark,
I received “Rescuing Sprite” as a Christmas gift from my father, who, along with the rest of my family, shared with me the life of my beloved Polo, a rescue from the Humane Society in Huntsville, AL. I was in college at the University of Alabama when I got Polo. She was the last of a litter of puppies, all her siblings and her mother had already been adopted. There she was, in that cage, all by herself, and I knew that was the dog for me. She went through college with me, then my single years, then me getting married and having a baby. She was my companion through 16 years of changes. She was my best friend through it all.

I moved to Maryland when she was 12, and I wasn’t sure how she would handle the move. She handled it beautifully, and became crazy about my husband, even though she’d had me all to herself for 12 years. I had my first baby when she was 15, and she was really starting to slow down. She had no known health problems, just old age. She started pacing during her 15th year, so much that she wore the pad off of her foot and it bled everywhere. It was so hard because there was no diagnosis, no life threatening disease. Just old age. She began to have trouble standing, her muscles were giving out on her. Her pacing got progressively worse.

When my son had just turned one, I realized that Polo did not have her quality of life anymore. I tried everything I could to deny it, but I finally had to face it. Even during this time, she was so patient and sweet with my little son. The vet told me that it was time for me to consider having her put to sleep. I just couldn’t do it. I even took her in one day to have it done, and turned around and walked out the door and took her back home. The vet was very understanding, but advised me to please give it some more thought, because it was time. It would be the best for her. My best friend for 16 years, who had been with me through every major life change, was suffering, and I finally realized I had to do it for her.

When I did take her in, I was in such agony, and I had to hand her over to the vet. She looked up at me, right into my eyes, and licked my face, as if to tell me it was okay. I will never forget that bittersweet moment.

Thank you for writing your book, because as Rush Limbaugh had told you, “you will touch a million hearts”. Even though it’s been 8 years since I lost Polo, your book has helped me to deal with the pain that I still feel when I think of her and that horrible decision I had to make.

I wish the very best to you and your family. Your Spritey and my Polo are most certainly together up in doggy Heaven playing and feeling no more of the pain they had to endure. They were both loved tremendously while here with us.

Jean from MD