Dear Mark,

I have always been a true fan of yours and a true animal lover. When I heard about your book about Sprite I wanted to get it, but I put it off for a while because my dog Good Girl was getting really sick and I was afraid to read it for fear of my losing her becoming a reality.

Good Girl came into our lives almost by accident. We had another dog at home already, Sammy was her name, and My husband and I , every now and again, would look in the paper for black German Shepards. There was an add so we were just going to look and see what they had. When we went to the house, the condition that the dogs were in was appalling! There was only one puppy left and she was in a dirty crate on top of four other crates shivering. The woman let her out and she ran in the corner crying. I went over to pet her and the man, I guess the husband of the woman, walked into the room and the puppy began to cry more. She was obviously scared of this despicable person. My husband and I were so upset that we scooped her up, asked how much and left with her. She was about four months old and she was a wreak. It took us two years to get her to be not afraid of people. When we first got her we named her Brandi. She was always scared but everytime we said she was a good girl she would get all happy so the name stuck. Her and my other dog Sammy became friends and also were inseperable. They were my heart. They were my family.

When Sammy got sick Good Girl never ever left her side. She was so loyal and so loving. She took care of Sammy and me at the same time. She would watch over Sammy and anytime Sammy made a sound of pain she was always comforting her. The day I had to put Sammy to sleep was one of the hardest days of my life. I couldnt believe how bad I felt and how guilty I felt about ending ny dog’s life. Who was I to make that decision? The worst of it all was coming home with Sammys collar and Good Girl running in circles and to the door looking for Sammy. That was almost four years ago om March 15, my birthday.

Good Girl was devastated for a long time. We ended up getting another dog that we rescued and we called her Gia. In November of 2007 Good Girl could not get up anymore. She was slowing down but she never had troble getting up. I will never forget the look on her face the day I came down to let them out and good Girl just stared at me with these sad, sad eyes. To make a very long story short, I had to put my Goodie asleep a week before Thanksgiving. Devastation. She was my Goodie, the best Good girl in the world. All she ever wanted was to be loved. A pet, a hug a treat. That was all. She was so happy and so loving and so honorable. I never wanted another dog. And then I finally bought your book.

I have only been able to get up to page183, the Memory Tree. Your book has meant so much to me. I related to each and every word of it. Sprite and Pepsi reminded me so much of Sammy and Goodie. With your book you have helped me think about them with a smile and not only tears. I hope you get to read this and I hope you know how much I and many others appreciate whole heartily what you have done for us in writing this book. Pepsi and Sprite are two beautiful dogs who are lucky to have and have had a great family such as yours.

I have everyone I know reading your book. It is the best and Thank you so much again!!

Cheryl from NY