Mark,

I have a poem that my daughter-in-law wrote for my son that had a black lab for 17 1/2 yrs.    \”LUCY\’
It\’s hard for me to say goodbye
To my dear companion, trusted friend, The aching that rips through my chest has caused a tear that will not mend.
I\’ll  miss the way you\’d wait each day By the door for my return, Theway you\’d give a gentle nudge When for your supper you did yearn.
At night when I sat in my chair You wanted me to toss your ball, Dropping toys into my lap Until I\’d throw it down the hall.
How sick you were when just a pup, I wasn\’t sure if you\’d pull through I coaxed you back to health again, You seemed to know I needed you.
Each, fall when crispness teased the air That frisky step that graced your walk Knowing it was getting close To mornings spent out in the bog
During the hunt you knew your place To sit and stay so very still Until the last shot was spent. Then you\’d retreive till my bag was filled.
The little grunts, you tilted head, I recall your ways so well.  You\’ve heard my secrets, kept them all, None of them did you e\’er tell.
Almost a score of memories  You\’ve brought me joy right to the end.  It\’s hard for me to saygoodbye  You\’re more than man\’s —- you\’re my best friend
long but well worth the read.

Faye from OH

Molly had brain surgery 4 years ago after she suffered a stroke. She now has a shunt to reduce the pressure on her brain. She is once again a happy, healthy jack russel terrier!

Cathe from NY

Hey Mark,
Just wanted to tell you a story that I though you would appreciate. My mom had been looking for another dog for a while after her Australian Shepherd passed away about a year ago. Several opportunities presented themselves, but for one reason or another, it just never seemed to work out. 2 days ago, my dad was way out in the middle of the woods miles away from anything doing some work, when this white 6 month old german shepherd (verified at the vet yesterday) wandered up to him out of nowhere. Long story short, she is the sweetest little puppy and is going to be the perfect companion for them. My two nieces named her Cotton. Rescued from the woods, now she has a nice home and wonderful people that will take care of her! God is good!

Take care and God bless you my friend,
Jim from MS

I have two dogs, a yellow lab named Zoey and a Maltese Shih -tsu mix named Hercules. I have ponds behind my house that I take them to so they can run around and play. To my surprise Hercules enjoys the water more than Zoey.

John from TX

Our German Shepard Buster joined our family when he was just six weeks old. My wife found him in a box in a shopping cart at the store. That was fifteen years ago this coming August and he has been such a great part of our lives we wonder how we will get on without him.

Very smart, intuitive and protective, he has offered us a sense comfort and security.

The end for him is very near as he needs help when walking any further than to the next room. Although his condition has offered us many challenges we still see that same dog we have loved for so long in his eyes and saying goodbye is even more difficult than we could have imagined.

The circumstances have required we make more time for him and we do not regret that at all. In fact we only wish we had made more time for him over the years. That is my biggest regret. So walk that extra block, throw that ball just one more time. Before we know it, the time has gone.

We are thankful for our time together with him and will miss him dearly.

I would like to recommend for any dog with hip dysphasia a rear support harness and a Glucosamine Chondroitin supplement. We have been using the harness for Buster for the past few months and only wish we had purchased one sooner. We got ours at Handicappedpets.com although many sights sell them and they are invaluable. Stopping your pet from jumping from high places such as the bed especially the larger breeds can help ward off the onset of the disease in my opinion. I hope sharing this information helps make your dog’s life a little more pleasant and your time with him/her last a little longer.

Tony from NY