The Mark Levin Show : Pet Corner

Listener Stories

The Story of Shelby

Unfortunately, I must report that today we’ve had to decide to have Shelby put to sleep. She must have had a massive seizure while we were sleeping two nights ago, and she has lost all motor function, and can’t even walk. She tries to get up, but collapses. With all the other medical problems she’s had this past year we came to the only decision we could: That she would be miserable being a total invalid, especially with the horrible pain levels she’s been dealing with from aggressive arthritis.

Shelby has been the joy of our lives, but she’s an old dog with too many medical issues. She has been looking at us soulfully, with such confusion and pain, as if asking us to do something to make it all better.

It’s time. She’s lived a long life, and has had a good life with people who adore her, on a huge old farm to run around. And she’s had much companionship with the cats and our other dog who had to be put to sleep last year, a friend who she mourned losing greatly. It seems to us that it was the loss of her buddy Comet that was the beginning of her own downturn.

Shelby will be missed immeasurably. She’ll be the last dog we’ll have, too, as I’m afraid we’re both too old, and disabled with aggressive autoimmune diseases ourselves, and the saying goodbye to our beloved pets and friends is just too painful anymore. We just can’t do it anymore.

One cat left out of thirteen will survive our menagerie which included the two dogs. Miss Kitty is about 15 years old, and has an unusual story all her own. But she’s so attached to Shelby that we don’t think she’ll survive much longer once her best chum is gone.

I just hope we survive the loss. This one is going to be the hardes one of all.

Kitt from MI

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Cassie

I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading Resucing Sprite. . I could feel your pain and the deepest love you had for Sprite. It was wonderful to read toward the end of the book that Pepsi has a new buddy, Griffen. Dogs bring so much joy into our lives. I have been blessed to have rescued my Shih Tzu almost six years ago, Cassie. She was we believe about 9 years old at the time. I treasure each day with her.
Thank you for sharing a part of your heart and soul in Rescuing Sprite. Those of us who love dogs understand..

J from AL

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Belle

Belle is my miracle dog. She is an 11 1/2 year old yellow Lab that I have had since she was 6 weeks old. She is my loyal friend, bird hunting buddy and fellow backpacker. Last November she was diagnosed with cutaneous hemangio-sarcoma. A very nasty cancer that they said would take her within four months. Just after Christmas ’08, she went downhill fast and was no longer eating or drinking she also had a softball sized tumor in her abdomen next to her thigh. I prayed for my dog so that she wouldn’t be lingering long and started to make arrangements to have her put to sleep. I spent many hours just stroking her coat and telling her how much I loved all our time together and telling her that she is a “good girl.” Through my tears I told her that it was okay now to go if she was ready thinking that she may just go in her sleep. (Many mornings I awoke thinking I might find that she passed during the night.)
I did manage to coax her to eat a little food that first week of ’09 and after about three days she came up to me at her regular feeding time and wanted her dinner. She began to improve greatly over the following week and was eating her normal meal. Much to my surprise she came to me one day with her sock toy and wanted to play fetch and tug-o-war. After a month had gone by the tumor that was so hard and huge was nearly gone and just a soft tissue mass remained under the skin. I took her into the vet so she could witness the miracle; she was stumped.
Today is June 29th and Belle is still with us. I don’t kid myself about her age and I know she is an older dog but, she is completely off any kind of pain meds and each day she is excited to get a cookie and do doggie things. We still take walks and when I say, “Wanna go?” she is ready to jump into the truck and go.
I believe that God intervened and gave us a little more time together. Why? I don’t know but I’ll take it.

John from CO

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Andy

I DONT KNOW HOW TO TELL YOU THIS. I AM 59 YRS OLD AND NEVER HAD MY VERY OWN DOG. I HAD THE KIDS AND ALL THAT AND ALOT OF BUSINESS STUFF WENT BY IN MY LIFE. FINALLY I MOVED OUT HERE AND LIVED IN A CABIN WITH A WOOD STOVE, NO ELECTRICITY AND NOT RUNNING WATER.
I GOT ANDY WHEN HE WAS 3 MONTHS OLD AND DECIDED I NWOULD HAVE HIM WITH ME 24/7 FOR THE FIRST 18 MONTHS FOR SURE. WHEN HE WAS 12 MONTHS OLD, ANDY (THE PANDA) WENT FOR A LITTLE RUN AROUND THE CABIN AND AS IT TURNED OUT IT WAS THANKSGIVING EVE 2008.
30 MINUTES LATER, ANDY COMES RUNNING TO ME BLEEDING AND WITH 2 GUNSHOT WOUNDS .
LET ME TELL YOU I AM CRYING AS I TELL YOU THIS. I WRAPPED ANDY IN A BLANKET AND TOOK HIM TO A KIND VET WHO WAS OPEN FOR SOME MIRACULOUS REASON AT THE MIDNIGHT HOUR THANKSGIVING EVE.
I KNOW WHO SHOT HIM AND THE COPS WONT DO ANYTHING. I THOUGHT I MIGHT START THE D8 AND PUSH THE BASTARD\’S INTO THE STREET, BUT I WAS JESUIT TRAINED AND SO I PUT THE TEARS ASIDE THOUGHT LOGICALLY.
I HAD THE VET EVALUATE AND, AND A SHATTERED HIP WOULD NOT DO. I HAD HIM PUT TO SLEEP. THEN I WAS OVERWHELMED AND CRIED FOR 3 DAYS
THIS DOG HAD A GREAT PERSONALITY. HE WAS A WISE-ASS; KIND OF A HAPPY-GO-LUCKY FUNNY GUY. HE WAS PERFECT.
YOU SEE, I COULDN\’T BEAR THE SIGHT OF HIM LIVING WITH INJURIES, BECAUSE I MIGHT HAVE KILLED THE BASTERD THAT SHOT HIM…A CONSTANT REMIDER.
THERE IS ALOT MORE TO THIS STORY…ALOT MORE.

Terry from AK

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Tanner, Sadie

Mark, Thought you\’d like to see one of the articles i wrote while President of Golden Ret. Rescue Education and Training (Northern VA. area)

Since my adoptive father is the president of your organization, and since I have
considerable pull with/over him, he has deferred his president’s message to me. My
name is Sonny and for quite some time now I have been trying to figure out just how
things have gone so wrong for my kind.
I was adopted four years ago after being one of the harder cases your GRREAT
organization had taken in at that point in time. I was only about 40 pounds when I came
into this thing called “Rescue.” To make a long story short, I had been beaten,
tormented and simply led a miserable existence. The life I recall had one end of a
logging chain tied around my neck and the other end tied to a log. I guess my paws, tail
and head took the brunt of the beatings, because I would not let anyone touch those
areas. After a few years of my adoptive parents gently touching and squeezing those
areas I finally realized that no harm would come to me. Basically, my life is pretty well
settled, other than the fact that I am tormented by what you call thunderstorms. (more…)

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Chipper

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

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