His name is Tucker….a rescued Boston Terrier with one badly injured eye and a twisted back. He and his brother, Hector, were separated after being rescued (as they were abused street dogs and fought constantly over their food). Tucker became “my dog” after my ex-wife decided not to take him when she left. He was the greatest gift she ever gave me. As an entertainer and musician, Tucker has “played” on every stage between my home town of San Diego, Colorado, and the Midwest. He has weathered Colorado’s snow storms and the humid Midwestern summers but Tucker now has a mysterious wasting disease (similar to Cushings) and has aged from a 5 year-old to a 12 year-old dog in just one year. He grows weaker and more fragile by the day and is content to ride in the basket on my bike…watching the world go by as he snorts and sniffs at the San Deigo sea air. I have been in this sad emotional place before…watching my Mother (also slowly wasting away) after the sudden death of my Father. Surely this is a test, to do things better than I did with her. I take more time to enjoy him and to thank God for the little time we have left as man and his best friend. Thank you, Mark, for your book which will give me great comfort when that inevitable day comes when Tucker is gone and waits for me (as do all dogs) in that special place in heaven where dogs play forever.

Tim from CA