I recently heard you on the radio sharing about your beloved Sprite. Thank you a trillion times because until hearing you, I had not known 1 person (except God of course) who understood what I went through when I made the decision to have my sweet golden retriever, Sunnie, put down in August ’04.

Everyone that ever met Sunnie talked about her smiling face, brilliance, sweetness and her human like facial expressions. At 9 yrs old people would watch us play in the lake or park and be amazed that she was 9 yrs, often guessing she was a pup of 9-12 months. Sunnie never was without a smile even though from the age of 6 mos. she had chronic UTIs and horrific allergies that caused her to tear her skin open and constantly suck and bite her paws and claw her ears. I spent thousands of $ @ vets doing everything they said including expensive diets–until I finally quit vet care @ age 6 altogether and followed a holistic approach with bottled H2O, fresh cooked food, vitamins and no more meds, vaccinations. She was absolutely better, but never really great. I am a born again Jesus lover and for the last 3 yrs of her life would pray and cry to God to heal her, provide me the $ to care for her, or to let her die so I wouldn’t have to decide. I even asked God to make her “look” sad or sick(to take the perpetual smile off her face and take her puppy energy away) so I could more easily decide to do the unthinkable.

Sunnie never acted sad or sick–always inhaled her food, begged for the tennis ball , or dashed for the lake to swim every day of her life–including the day I finally couldn’t deal with another UTI. God didn’t answer my prayer the way I wanted, instead making me choose the unspeakable. The pain I still have and probably always will (like right now) is indescribable. It takes my breath away. But there is light in the fellowship of suffering with Jesus–who came specifically to suffer and die for us. And guess what was playing on a Christian radio station as Sunnie hopped up for her last car ride–a pastor teaching a sermon passage on pain and suffering and grief. There are no coincidences. I was and still am single–so had Sunnie by myself for 9.75 yrs which were so difficult because of her illnesses–but also so filled with goofy, doggy happiness.

Thanks again, Mark, for sharing about “praying to God to take Sprite so you wouldn’t have to make the decision.” Most people don’t understand so it was a great comfort and relief to hear your story. from Psalm 40: I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth–praise to our God!”

Mollie from WA