Mr. Levin, I just finished reading Rescuing Sprite. I could barely get through the pages with out tears. Very painful memories resurfaced fro me . Gut wrenching guilt once again, because like you I had to make that final call. Our bingo who i considered to be my 3rd child, different species of course, but as equally loved, pampered and cared for as my human children. had colin cancer. he was now 11 years old going thru surgery, with out high expectations of survival. they removed one tumor and could not remove others deeper inside his body. Bingo was determined to come home ,the vet told us we should nt expect much more from him, if he lived another month that would be a blessing. Well, with much love, bingo survived another year and 1/2 to the surprise of everyone. he suffered with severe anemia and very painful arthritis. too old and weak to go thru a blood transfusion. In October of 2005 was his turning point. he became so ill, he could no longer walk he laid on my lap rapped in my sweatshirt, near the oven as i sobbed in sorrow knowing what i had to do. my oldest son, like your son begged me for one more day. This would be my children’s first loss. he was suffering too much, i knew that, but i didnt want to let him go.

On October 17, 2005 I had no choice. It had to be. I couldnt watch him like this anymore. We went to the vet, in tears, holding him so tight telling him we were sorry and how much he truly meant to us and how much we love him.until the last shot took affect ! Our boy was gone ! The emptiness in our house was beyond comprehension. we were lonely even though the three of us were together. after his cremation, and finding the perfect urn for him, my depression seemed to be getting out of control. i needed to have another dog in our house. My kids weren’t happy with this, they did understand that i was’nt trying to replace Bingo, I just needed to fill a void, for all of us. I found a sheltie collie mix from a breeder in Iowa. Same breed just a different look. His name from the breeder was… Sprite. ! A beautiful 7 week old puppy. He was flown to L.G.A airport in November of 2005. Once again our hearts welcomed a new baby into our family. Joey is his name now, our 2 year old, son/brother. who is so spoiled, and loved. by all of us. he has become attached to my younger son, as if they have known each other forever. he even follows him to the bathroom.
Your Sprite will live on in your hearts forever… Just like our Bingo will live on in ours. They will forever be loved ………..
Kathy from NY