My wife Alison found Ben at the local animal control shelter in Arlington, Texas.  Ben was a skinny little underfed puppy when he was found along with his mother and sister dog.  We believe Ben is a mix of Yellow Lab and Ridgeback, but we aren\’t sure what else might be in the mix.  The shelter had already named him Ben, and the name seemed to fit when he was picked out by Alison\’s oldest son Brent.  Ben has been a great dog–is extremely intelligent–even to the point of figuring out how to open the rifrigerator door with his nose.  When we figured out who was eating all the food, we put the kabosh on that.  Ben has slimmed down nicely due to caloric monitoring and daily exercise.  As you can see from his photos Ben is now a very happy 7 year old pup in California.

Max (our Boxer) was found in a puppy store–On Sale because he was getting a little old for  a puppy–at 4 months.  Max is also very smart and an incredible \”people\” dog.  He loves to play with the other dogs (especially the ones that will chase him and vice versa) but he also makes the rounds to all the people to get petted and touched.  Disposition-wise, Max is like a Black Lab in a medium-sized (Brindle) Boxer body–the most agressive thing about Max is his tail wagging. Max is 3-1/2 years old.

Ben and Max are best friends and have proven to be easily trained and very obedient.

Randy & Alison from CA

I miss my two beautiful Shelties, Murphy & Avery.  They died a year apart at only 10 & 11 years old, becoming gravely ill after their annual vaccinations.  I write to ask that other pet owners research and reconsider the practice of annual vaccination given to companion animals – few of whom are at risk for the illnesses they are intended to prevent.  Older animals seem especially susceptible to the multiple organ failures that follow these injections.  Murphy began vomiting immediately  after her vaccination and experienced kidney failure, unmanageable blood protein issues and more. Despite traveling the length of Alabama to get her the  best care the state had to offer at Auburn University, Murphy battled bravely for a week through unrelenting vomiting, diarrhea and organ failure before the tearful veterinarians said there was no hope.  Her suffering was ended humanely and we were all  crushed by the loss of this brave, loving, beautiful baby girl.   I now worried about how the loss would effect her brother, Avery. Years ago, after Barney, the great dog of my childhood had been taken to the vet and put to sleep, his \”girlfriend\” Candy (a small black and white mix that resembled a Papillon) searched the back of my father\’s truck every time he came home, looking for Barney.  So, at my request, the understanding vet at Auburn wheeled Murphy\’s body into a private visiting room so  her brother Avery could understand that she was gone and say goodbye.   I cried over a hundred miles back to Enterprise, AL.  The next year when it was time for Avery\’s vaccinations, I had chosen a new local vet and expressed my fears about vaccinations.  Every vet dismissed the idea that the vaccinations were at fault for Murphy\’s deadly reaction.  Trying to limit the risk, my new vet offered to give Avery his vaccination in two small doses separated by a couple of months.  After the first dose Avery developed congestive heart failure followed quickly by liver failure.  I again turned to Auburn to try to save my baby.  Avery\’s prognosis was without hope and I watched his spirit leave his body at the hands of a veterinarian less than a week after his vaccination.

Susie from MD

Hey..Mark been listening just a few weeks, enjoy your show. Great to see your a dog lover. I have 2 chihuahuas . \”Boy\” got lost last month, but there still some decent people that saw our posters and called us when they saw him sitting in a church field. Keep up the good work.

Janie from TX