Just finished your book Rescuing Sprite and it brought back painful memories of having to put my 13+ year-old collie, Maxine, to sleep.  I didn’t have the luxury of the vet coming to my home so I had to take her to the vets office.  While up on the table when they gave her the sedative, she licked my hand and I took that as her “thank you” for taking her out of her misery.  When I adopted her she was a 30 lb. emaciated full grown dog who had been abused and neglected.  While walking her in Ann Arbor, I passed a college couple who said “that’s a sheltie” – she was that small.  At first she didn’t want to ride in a car because she thought she’d be dumped somewhere again.  She got kicked out of her 1st foster home because there was a cat and she didn’t like cats.  When I walked out of the vets office that day, I cried so hard – it dawned on my I hadn’t really cried since my mom died in 1987.  In the process, I lost my glasses in the parking lot as well as losing my best friend.  That was 10 years ago.  I wasn’t going to get another dog and then a friend came by who had rescued a pit bull mix puppy who was being groomed to fight.  She (Peanut) would never have lasted as she’s a lover and she will be 8 next spring.  Although I see ‘old age’ creeping up, I don’t want to think ahead to the inevitable, hopefully several years away.  I wasn’t allowed to have a dog as a child because of allergies, some of which I’ve grown out of.  I know Maxine’s collie hair was problematic but Peanut’s not short hair so less shedding.  So your book brought back the love and the pain that comes with falling in love with a pet.  I agree with whoever said “all dogs go to heaven” – what would heaven be like without them?

— Grace from Lake Orion, MI