Hi Mark – I just finished your book about your beloved Sprite. Cried through much of it. 21 years ago I lost my precious “Chipper”, a Poodle who was found in a ditch. He was the most wonderful dog I’ve ever seen. Our friends used to fight over who got to keep him when we traveled. Anyway at age 10 he was attacked by a neighbor dog. He seemed to be recovering nicely but then he quit eating – even his favorite carrots. I took him to the vet and it turned out that his liver was severely compromised. We took him to a specialist and he did his best – but Chipper died. I’ll never forget the grief as long as I live. In fact I’m crying as I write this. I walked the floor at night for almost 3 months after Chipper died. We buried him in our back yard. One of our friends and his wife brought a Rhodendron to plant on his grave and my sister brought a Rose. After I through some dirt on his grave I said “are there animals in heaen?” and my friend said “Honey, it wouldn’t be heaven without them”. I really believe that my pets are there waiting for me. Then we got another Poodle “Dugan” who lived for 19 years. He became blind and deaf, but he was always happy and a joy to have around. We have his ashes on our mantle.

I also lost my cat at 19 years of age. He was my baby. The last night of his life I sat up all night with him on my lap. He would wake up and purr and then fall back to sleep. He is buried in our yard near Chipper as they were great friends. Now we have a Schnoodle who is 2 years old. He is turning out to be a really good dog. We also have 2 cats that we got from a no-kill shelter. We had 3 cats, but while I was out of town one of them got outside and we never saw her again. I am haunted by that. I keep wondering how she died, I know she must be dead because she had been abused and would not have gone to someone else. I used to dream she came home. One night about a month after she went missing I was in the bath tub and all of a sudden I became convinced that she was at the back door. I rushed downstairs, but she wasn’t there. I stayed up several hours and checked every 10 minutes. People who don’tlove animals can never understand the grief when we lose one of God’s special creatures.

Sorry to go on and on, but your book was so moving and brought back memories. As you mentioned in your book, grief is the price we pay for love, but we are so much richer for that love.
Thank you. You will never forget Sprite no matter how many years elapse. I hope Pepsi is doing well.

God bless you and your family.

Shirley from WA