Dear Mark

A friend of mine bought me a copy of your book Rescuing Sprite. I finished reading it on December 7th. Getting to know Sprite and Pepsi brought me a mixture joy and sorrow and it also brought me back to a time 8 years ago when we had to put down our beautiful golden retriever named Goldie. He was so gentle from the time he was a puppy and left us at the age of 15.

He came into our lives shortly after we had to put down our very first dog, a beautiful & crazy Irish Setter named Rex who was 13 years old. My husband took him to the Vet had to put him down all alone because I just couldn’t bring myself to do this with him and to this day I’m sorry I wasn’t with Rex the day he left us. My family now lives in Orlando, Florida but we used to live in New Jersey where Goldie lived all his life. On December 29, 2000 we had a snowstorm which kept my husband, my son and me at home. In the weeks before he left us Goldie was becoming more active, even chasing balls, but on the morning of December 29th he had a seizure and died, we were all so distraught at seeing this that my husband (a NJ Policeman) began to give Goldie CPR and brought him back to us, we immediately realized this would mean that soon after, if he didn’t die again, we would have the very painful task of putting him down..

We drove in the terrible snowstorm to get Goldie to the Vet. The Vet kept him over the weekend and gave him medication. He then told us to take him home to see if the medication helped, but we all knew it was the Vet’s way of helping us prepare to say good-bye to our beautiful boy. For a week we had family, friends and Goldie’s four legged pals come to say good-bye. Every night we would pray that Goldie would die in his sleep, but every morning, although he could no longer move, he would look at us with his beautiful brown eyes and wag his tail. I would sit with him and sing “You Are So Beautiful” (Joe Cocker) and “Loving You” (Minnie Ripperton). We prayed, cried and told him how much we all loved him and what joy he brought to our lives. (more…)

We adopted Sydney, a female Chocolate Labrador Retreiver, from Florida Lab Rescue when she was a puppy. Now 7, we’ve been through every hurricane and beach romp together – love her lots.

Tom from FL

I first want to thank you for writing your story about Sprite.  I have buried 2 Collies that were my children.  My male Dundee had seizures and took medication every day.  I had him put to sleep in my arms in my home while Bonnie my female watched.  It was a very traumatic time for both Bonnie and I.  She wouldn\’t go in the backyard where I buried Dundee under his favorite tree for about 2 months.  I finally coaxed her out there and then it was hard for her to leave.  She mourned his loss as much as I did.

I too like you poured my love to her.  I had her for another 6 years when she finally succumbed to a 2nd stroke.  I rehabed her thru her 1st one while I was rehabing myself after Hip replacement surgery.  Her 2nd one occured a year later while I was undergoing radiation therapy for anal cancer.  She too died in my arms and is buried next to her beloved friend Dundee.

She died on October 23, 2005.  I waited until January and found a sheltie in Gainesville.  He was the runt and no one wanted him.  He was born on the Friday before Bonnie died ( the 15th).  I brought him home, I had too he looked just like my Dundee.  BTW he has his characteristics.

I met my future husband the end of January and he had a Black Lab Sadie.  The two bonded immediately and became inseperable.  To this day they are together all of the time.  In the meantime we found 2 Chihuahuas that were abandoned in our neighborhood.  One is old and nearly blind with bad teeth (he is Brad\’s favorite) and we guess his son, we have no idea.  They have been a part of our home for a year and a half now.  A house full of dogs I guess you could say that we rent from the dogs.  They all get along despite the testosterone.

I just wanted you to know how much your story touched my life.  Thank you again for sharing Sprite and Pepsi.  How is Griffin doing?

Sally from GA

This is a colt that was born in Aug/Sept. 07 around Vale OR. he live through the winter with little food. 5 other colts were going to be put down. To weak, but a friend of my brother in law’ sister ranch here in Jordan Valley brouht him the ranch.

I am retired firefighter and moved to the ranch. My sister told me about the colt, the next day after he got here I saw him, he was so thin and standing there. I began feeding him and brushing him daily and growing!!

He is my buddy now and comes to me when I call him. His name is “Buffalo/Big Guy”. I work with him every day. Next Spring I am going to start riding him. He likes his oats and I always have some in my work pants front pocket. When he’s eatting or when we are out walking, I have my Bible and read it while he’s eating.

Don from OR

Here is a letter written by a friend on a forum that I felt was worthy of your time and attention.
Fox9 did a story and here is the link with pics of Hawkeye
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7996637&version=1&locale=EN-US

I wanted to tell you about a special group of people who know each other only through the internet forum for barrel racers called Barrel Horse World. (www.barrelhorseworld.com) When one of our forum’s Texas members found the “dog of her dreams” for sale in MN, she posted on the forum that she needed volunteers to transport the dog to Texas. A “puppy train” was formed, and she bought the dog with a large amount of her hard earned money. As “Hawkeye’s” journey began, she posted pictures of the beautiful Australian Shepherd on the Barrel Horse World forum and thanked everyone in advance for helping move “Hawkeye” from MN to his new home in TX. Here is the (more…)