I\’m convinced that dogs share the same spirit. I refer to it in my own mind simply as, \’the spirit of dog\’. It\’s exemplified by unconditional love, loyalty and a cheerful, trusting demeanor. That\’s why, in my opinion, we so abhor those who mistreat dogs and why we hate to see them suffer.
When our beloved friends die, as we know they must, they leave a dog-shaped hole in our heart. We mourn for a time and we resist those who tell us to \’just get another dog\’.
But after a while we do get another dog and we find that they possess the same \’spirit of dog\’ as our old friend. Sure, their personality will differ slightly, but we are just as delighted by their antics and just as buoyed by the love and affection they bestow upon us.

They heal us.

Their presence fills in that \’dog-shaped hole\’ in our hearts in the only way it can be filled.

After my mother passed away my father was quite despondent. I found a dog in an animal shelter. Half Border Collie, half Chow-Spitz. Her name was Maggie. She helped my father cope with his loss and became his dear companion. She succumbed to cancer a few months ago.

RIP Maggie-The-Dog. You were the greatest.

Brother Kevin from NJ

Hello Mark,

I appreciate that you have provided an forum to talk about our dogs.

Our dog, Rusty, whom we had for 14 years passsed this past week.

He was a 110 lb Bernese Mt. Dog / Golden Retriever mix. The best dog I’ve ever had.

While it has been a great loss to our family, the way he died was in reality a great blessing.

Due to his advanced age, we knew that it wouldn’t be long before we would have to have him put down. But, since he wasn’t ill, in pain, or suffering in any way, we were really dreading the thought of having to do that.

Rusty died naturally, a stroke or heart attack, I suppose. It happened so quickly, but it happened while he was here at home with us holding and loving him to the end.

I don’t know if my wife and I will get another dog, because it hurts too much to lose them. They (dogs) have a way of endearing themselves to us and truly become family members.

Thanks

Steve from CA

I never would have thought of myself as a dog lover until now.  I read Rescuing Sprite and was very touched by Mark\’s story.  I never understood the bond between dogs and their owners because I never had a dog.  A few months after I read Rescuing Sprite, my husband and I were blessed with a dog of our own.  He followed us home one day when we were on a walk.  I played with him for a few minutes outside of my house.  At the time, we thought he belonged to someone.  He had a collar on, but no tag and no microchip.

The next morning when I went outside to go jogging, he ran into my garage.  Then, he followed me while I ran.  I could tell that he was lost (or let go) because he went up to the front door of every house to see if it was his.  I felt so sad for him because he was all alone.  I fell in love with this dog right away.  He is the sweetest, friendliest dog I\’ve ever known!  A neighbor called the shelter and they came and picked him up.  We checked with the shelter everyday, but no one claimed him.  There were no signs posted for him in our neighborhood.  We ended up adopting him from the shelter.  I never thought I would be a dog owner, but there is something so special about this dog.  We named him \”Lucky\”.  The vet estimated his age as 1 1/2 – 2 years old.  He is a cavalier spaniel mix.  He has brought so much joy and love into our home.  He is truly a gift from God.

Lindsey from CA

Mark,I just finished reading Rescuing Sprite and many times I had to stop due to tears. I fear that this will be the last year for my beloved 11 year old beagle, Munroe. He is our third shelter dog. When we met him I held his little face in my hands(he was 6 months old at the time) and looked into his beautiful eyes and knew he was the one. He looks a bit like Sprite with the same coloring and curly spaniel-like hair around his neck. I dread the day we have to say goodbye, I don\’t know how to prepare myself. I know in my heart nothing can prepare me.  You wondered why anyone would care to read your story. It is because as dog lovers, we can relate to the pain you went through. Whether it be in the past or in the future, we all have to come to grips with saying goodbye to our own Sprite. Bless you all and bless Spritey.

Joanne from IL

My wife, Wendy, and I are avid dog lovers who have rescued five dogs and one cat. Our first was a bloodhound mix we named Harley, not for the motorcycle but for Harley Earl, creator of the Corvette. We got him from our local veterinarian who told us that a postal carrier found him along his route. Harley was dumped in a drainage ditch in a plastic bag. He was only two weeks old but he managed to chew his way through the bag and make enough noise to attract the postal carrier. That was six years ago.

Our next was a beautiful black pure bred Great Dane from the local great dane rescue agency. She was rescued from an abusive home in Memphis, TN and was poor health when we got her. We nursed her back to health. She was already named Charcoal and we didn’t see any reason to change it. Wendy has helped the great dane rescue since. We then rescued a terrier mix from behind our local Department of Human Services (DHS) office. At the time, I was a local police officer and the Animal control officer knew Wendy would have a soft spot for this puppy so he had a fellow police officer sneak the puppy (Samson) over to my house while I was on duty. (more…)