Hi folks – and Mark. I want to say first that I have learned so much from you, Mark as to the workings of our government. I listen everyday. As a kid (10 to 16), living in Hamburg Germany from 1970 to 1976, I used to debate with the older german kids and adults with my perfect north German dialect. They heard me speak of the US while they spoke of Lenin, Mao’s little red book and anti-vietnam stuff etc. I remember, the Berlin wall, checkpoint Charlie, how drab east Berlin was, very grey and dark at night compared to West Berlin that was alive and lit like a Christmas tree at night. I have always been politically inclined.
But – to my first pet dog, Jetta, the black lab you see in the pictures. My wife wanted me to get a dog to keep me company while I worked at home. We have no children, it does not seem to be in the cards for us, so finally she convinced me. In Jan. of 2001 we went looking at the local shelter.
I saw her first, sitting in her kennel, being quiet but curious looking at all the folks as they would walk by. Those wonderful, smart eyes taking everything in, looking out her cage at us. She would not go potty in the cage, nor #2. The lady at the shelter, put Jetta to be on a leash and led us to a little area where she (not the shelter lady of course) relieved herself. As I watched walk around and sniff, I patted my leg and called her to me. She came and sat next to me for a minute, then got up and walked around, until we had to go back to the kennel. Jetta was in her first heat, having not been spayed yet. She had been dropped off at the pound earlier that week. We had seen her while she was in a 3 day waiting period. Maybe she had gotten loose and was lost, having been dropped off by a stranger who found her. To this day we do not know how she got there. In the end it was their loss One family was to see her at one pm on a Sunday, with my wife and I scheduled to see Jetta to be @ 2pm. (more…)

These are our two labs, Gabriel, (the Yellow male) and Ripley, (the Black female). They turn nine in Feb. 09 and have been relatively healthy. But, we recently found a couple of lump on Gabe that we are waiting for results on. After reading \’Rescuing Sprite\’, we have…well, my wife won\’t read it…we have earned a new respect and appreciation for our dogs. They are great and great for us. If you haven\’t read the book. Read it. It\’s moving, educational and eye-opening to how incredible Mark and his family are. And they truly are. I wish him and his family many blessings, as he has blessed me, through his books and his radio show. Truly, The Great One! God bless you all.

Brad from IA

This is Maggie!  God blessed me with her over 13 years ago in California where  I lived outside the Napa valley. God gave me a message in my head when I was driving past the shelter that I should go in. I am not joking.  I had driven past the shelter almost weekly and never felt the sense this strong  to go in.  On this day I received the strong message. Maggie had just arrived.  She was just strolling around in the streets by herself when animal control picked her up. The staff person said I would have to wait 3 days to see if someone would claim her.  Since she was so cute I knew had to have belonged to someone.

By the grace of God, 3 days later I took her home with me where our life together began.  When I was laid off from a San Francisco dot com in 2001 she moved with me to New York City and quickly adjusted to city life.  Where I used to be able to open the door and let Maggie go out to do her business, I now had to take her down 22 floors in the elevator in order to take her out.  Sometimes she would wake me up at 4AM on a cold snowy NYC morning.  I would have to bundle up and take her out for a walk (again at 4 AM mind you in NYC) so she could do her business.

I think about that time as we now live in Connecticut where once again I can open the door an let her out from my nice cozy home.    She loves playing with her ball, playing tug a war, running fast after a golf ball, hunting and chasing squirls, and begging for food.  She is my best friend and buddy.  I love her so much. I don\’t ever want to lose her.  I don\’t know what I will do when that time comes.

Mary from CT