Mark, just had the pleasure of having two of my three bichions sprayed by a skunk last night. What a stinky mess. We have tried all known redemies but to no avail. If anyone has a good remedy I would appreciate the help. I have purchased severl of your Sprite books to give to friend (and enemies) who have lost a loved pet. Keep up the good work.

Tom from VA

Mark,

I am a regular listener to your show and have always admired your willingness to share what your dog has meant to you. I have ordered you book today to try and help me get through the death of our dog Sammy. I never thought the death of him would hurt as much as it has. Six years ago we were looking for another dog so our current dog Sara could have a buddy. Sammy was the last of a litter of lab mix pups that the owner was giving away for free. I have never had a dog that has connected with me like Sammy did. He was by far the most intellegent dog I have seen and I swear he new what I was thinking before I did. Sammy was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer about 3 weeks ago. We started chemo but it was to much for his system and he died on the way to the emergency room Oct 13. At least he pasted in my lap while I was scratching his belly. Sorry for all the rambling.

God bless.

Patrick from OR

PS. Sammy is the large black lab in the middle of the picture.

Nameless man saves dog with credit card

Someone — he doesn’t know who — made DeBary resident Rob Whalen cry Tuesday.

He had to rush Woody, the Australian shepherd he had come to regard as family, to the AA Animal Clinic after the dog was bitten by a rattlesnake.

After a quick checkup, the vet said it would cost between $2,400 to $2,800 to treat the dog. Antivenin is in short supply, pushing the cost to save a pet beyond the means of many pet owners, including Whalen.

“I don’t have that kind of money,” he said.

Whalen said he was getting ready to take Woody home to die, when a man at the clinic told him: “Take the dog back in, and I will take care of it for you.”

The man then gave the vet his credit card and refused to give Whalen his name or address.

“He just told me, ‘Take care of your dog,’ ” Whalen said.

“It’s the first time I cried in years,” he said. “I don’t know who he was, but he is my angel, and I just want to say, ‘Thank you.’ ”

Woody has another three days of treatment but was doing fine Tuesday afternoon, a clinic employee said.

Matthew from FL

This is SP, who passed on at the end of 2007 at about the age of 12. She was a blue heeler mix and was the smartest dog I have ever known. She came to us as a two year old stray and was number four in our pack at that time. After the senior dogs had passed on and we were one on one, I began to realize that she was something special. She had a very unusual ability to get the gist of ordinary English speech. The mutt half of her mix added to her heeler intelligence and gave her great love of people and the ability to make friends readily. I think of her every day, but after six weeks of mourning, I adopted another heeler mix, Kelli, out of rescue. Kelli is not SP; but we are having great fun together.

Lee from TX

Well, I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know about the best dog in the world. I have always been a lover of big dogs (I\’ve had a couple of labs, etc.) and a year and a half ago I got a jack russell terrier named and named her Patsy.  Everyone said I was an idiot for getting such a hyper dog, and for the first year she was REALLY high maintenance. But she has become the most affectionate, loving dog I have ever owned. She sleeps with me at night and gets under the covers and sleeps with her head on a pillow.  I would recommend that anyone who wants a companion consider getting one of these wonderful animals.

Shawn from PA