Dear Mr. Levin, I’d like to share with you and all the fans of the Mark Levin Show a wonderful situation I have at my home. My husband is 75+ years old and handicapped. I bought him a Yorkshire Terrier puppy for his birthday this year. You simply would not believe how much this dear little dog has raised not only my husband’s morale, but the whole feeling in the house. We love this little dog so much. It’s like having 24/7 “pet therapy” here at home.

We hired a very nice dog trainer, who has worked with us and Sona in safety measures, as my husband uses a walker. I want people to know that, with the proper preparation and safety training, it’s very possible for a handicapped person to have and enjoy a dog (I’m not referring to service dogs, just a regular pet).

M.E. from VA

Hi Mark, I have just read your book ‘Rescuing Sprit’ which I bought at the airport on my way to Spain. I waited while I got home to read it. I knew this book would speak to me as I have just lost my beloved dog Lotty, who was 12 years and my two cats who were 15 years old. All passed away within 6 weeks of each other. Your book put into words how I felt and what I went through. Like your Sprite, Lotty was very special to me, I loved her dearly, she was a rescued dog and when I found her she was in a very bad way. Like your vet, mine (who is also named Mark) worked hard to give Lotty a better quality of life and she turned out to be a happy dog, but always ailing and when the end came I hoped she would go in her sleep but I had to make the decision to put her to sleep, the tears fall as i write this bit. Mark the vet came at Friday tea time, Lotty barked at him as she always did, but her legs were very bad, she could hardly walk and I did try to keep her going. I held her in my arms, held her face close to mine and told her I loved her, she was a great dog. I have brought her ashes home where she should be. Through your book I feel I have got to know a part of you, why do our cherished pets have to go so soon, I only pray that I did the best for Lotty as you have done for Sprite. Like you, my heart is broken but your book was a great comfort to me, it helped me realise I was not alone. You are truly a wonderful person, God bless you and all your family and dogs Pepsi and Griffen. I will never forget Lotty and, with your dog Sprite, they will both run and play where the grass is greener and the sun shines and there is no pain.
God bless our dogs.
Love
Janet from The UK
Ps
I have rescued another little dog, his name is Bailey.
God help us it all starts again.

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You\’ll like it even if you don\’t and you may even decide you need one!
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named \’Lucky.\’ Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.
Mary or Jim would go to Lucky\’s toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky\’s other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease….in fact ,she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her…what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary\’s dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won\’t understand that I didn\’t want to leave him.  The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn\’t even make it up the steps to her bedroom.  Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn\’t come to her when she called.  It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.
When Mary woke for a second she couldn\’t understand what was wrong. She couldn\’t move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!  While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.  He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying.  Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It\’s been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free.  Lucky?
He still steals treasures and  stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Chip from AZ

Mark,
First off you are a GREAT AMERICAN! I listen to your show every night. When I first started listening I always wondered why you said \”Goodnight Sprite.\” Then one day I was out and I heard you talking about Sprite. It was only a few weeks earlier that I had lost my Greyhound of 11 years. I rescued her when she was 3. I was in the fifth grade at the time. I have always been a HUGE animal lover. I was feeling so down and out, and then I heard your story.

I know it is a hard thing to go through, but hearing some of your story was comforting. Shortly after I heard that radio program my boyfriend and I went out and got another dog. We got a Great Dane, and named him Odin. He is the biggest baby ever. He is only 140 pounds, slightly small for a Dane. He weighed more than I did when he was about 10 months old.

When Odin was about a year old my boyfriend was at work, and  there was a litter of kittens only 3 weeks old running around with no mother. So he brought one home. The cat, Kitty as we call him, weighed slightly under a half pound. Needless to say Odin and Kitty sleep together, eat together, and  play together. I was nervous at first but they love one another more than I could have hoped for. I just wanted to thank you for sharing your story and giving support to this great nation! Keep up the good work!

Nicole from TN

Our sweet little Heidi, found me on a snowy December night in 1996 while I was putting up Christmas lights for my Mom. She was 14 months old, but still very much a baby. She belonged to a neighbor who couldn’t take proper care of her. There had been abuse and neglect involved. She wandered over to my Moms house on that cold December night and found me. I looked down and saw this little creature looking up at me with a look that said “I found you!” My son Jim was with me and told me that the woman that owned her was looking for a home for her. I wasn’t sure what I was even seeing she was so matted and wet. But, I saw a love in her eyes that I had never seen before so without hesitation, I picked up that sweet, wet and shivering baby and never put her down. The woman gave me her papers and wished us well. My Heidi became my shadow. She saw me through so many of lifes hard times and sorrows, including the loss of my Mom on April 11, 1999, followed by my sister 5 weeks later. A divorce followed that. Life lessons and changes, Heidi and I weathered them all together. In August 2002 I met Clyde and Heidi got another love in her life. She was his “Doodle Dog.” He loved her and she loved him. I was so happy to have met someone that could love her as much as he did. We took her camping, made sure she had all of her “cookies”, toys and just loved her. Her soul spoke to us. She was so special, even taking a moment to “pray” over her food before beginning her meal. Just a soulful little girl.

This past February, her “sister” Mandy, my sons Calico cat came back to live with us. She had been living with my ex-husband out in the country but my son wanted to move back to the city and bring his cat. Mandy had issues with Heidi when I first got her, as Mandy is 4 years older and, A CAT! Mandy had been an only pet for 4 years and had to adjust. I thought there might be a few left over issues when she was coming back, but there were none at all. Old age mellowed Mandy, and Heidi was grateful I’m sure. As with any aging pet, you start to dread “that day.” Heidi was 12 years old, but still doing pretty good. She had some of the aging problems that many dogs get, but overall, she was in good shape. She was, however, becoming increasingly fearful of storms. It was getting much worse as she aged. Fireworks also freaked her out. (more…)