We had to put our beloved pets down together two weeks ago and it has hit me like a ton of bricks. I just read Rescuing Sprite and it was very helpful in my grieving process with both tears and laughter. Sophia the blond Chow & Lab mix was almost 16. I rescued her from death row when she was still quite young. She was abused and left in a vacant house for several days when the owners just left. Her barking saved her life and now the silence in our house is deafening. She was fading over the last several months and then we found out Vinnie the Newfie and Lab mix had an inoperable malignant tumor on his rear hip and leg diagnosed back in November. He was a gift from a family member and 11 and we had him for almost 9 years. Our other dog Siena was killed by a hit and run driver in 2006 when she was 8 after she escaped out of our house. I was crushed since she was my Dog. But we had her Brother and Sister to help ease the pain and now there is no barking or begging or jumping or anything. They all had reasonably long lives and knowing we had these last few months with the last 2 didn’t make it easier but it will get better and they were so happy up until their last moments. I truly tried to live in the moment with them during the last months which helped. That’s the way our pets live so it helped me focus on the now not the dreaded day that was coming. My Wife and Daughter and I all said goodbye like we all do and the days are getting a little easier. If your pets are still with you, treasure those little insignificant moments as the little things make our daily lives and our pets make our lives better.

— Rick from Scottsville, VA