Hi Mark: I just finished reading \”Rescuing Sprite\”…I cried. What a beautiful story….and what a wonderful friend you had in Spritey. I have a shitzu/poodle mix, Lloydie, and I look at him and cherish every minute he\’s with me. I think you and your family have taught me to realize that if we give them love and nothing but love, the end process is easier. Lloydie is only 3, and now my husband and I are thinking of adopting another dog just so we could give Lloydie a companion. I will look at a shelter this time because if Kendal was able to find a wonderful dog like Sprite, perhaps we can do the same. God Bless you.

Marissa from MD

Dear Mr Levin,
I wrote you a letter last year telling you about my 2 wonderful cairn terriers , Cubby and Bridget. In that letter I enclosed a picture of the two of them sitting on a footlocker that arrived here 3 weeks before my husband Mark was due back from Iraq. I wanted to share with you the joy my cairns had brought into my life, especially during long deployments.
Now I’m writing you a different story, one I thought I would never have to write.
As I sit here with tears rolling down my face and crying that gut wrenching cry, I wait for the phone to ring. My husband left for his 4th tour in Iraq last month, and now I wait here for him to call , to give him the horrible news that our precious Cubby had to be put down tonight.
My Cubby just shy of his 10th birthday , collapsed this morning with now warning, I rushed him to the emergency vet hospital in my town, where it was discovered that he had a tumor in his heart that caused some blood vessels to burst. There was nothing we could do to save his life. As the vet was giving him the meds to put him to sleep , I held that precious little pup in my arms , whispering to him how much we all loved him and thanked him for coming into our lives.
Cubby was “daddys puppy” he went in “daddys truck” for hamburgers at macdonalds, found the biggest sticks for daddy to throw, barked when he heard daddys whistle, and waited through every deployment for daddy to come home.
It weighed heavy on my heart whether or not to tell my husband that his Cubby is no longer with us, but I decided I had too. So as I sit here waiting. How do I tell him? I don’t know yet. What I do know is I blessed. I’m blessed to have had this precious creature in my life for almost 10 years, I’m blessed for all the laughter ,joy, and comfort he brought into my life. And I know that my precious cairn terrier Cubby will be waiting at the gates of heaven for me to come.
Mr. Levin, Thank you so much for your blog, your book and for everything you do for our soldiers. Graces will be brought upon you , May God bless you and yours , and May God bless our little bundles of joy ,we call dogs.
Truly ,
Monique from CT
proud air force wife and army mom

Dogs have a way of reaching the soul of a person and bonding with the deepest part of us. I had to put my female dog down a few years ago, but I have a new partner now Her name is Gypsy.

Rick from AZ

We took an American Walker dog into our home some 9 years ago.  This breed of dog is likely not familiar to people that do not hunt, but Walkers are used to hunt game, usually raccoons, deer, bears and mountain lions.   Their large size and courage make them great dogs to hunt the larger predators.  Their temperament is similar to beagle hounds, quiet and gentle around humans.  Think of our dog as 95 pound beagle, similar in color, black, tan and white.

Our dog was very gentle around our grandchildren, moving very slowly and never attempting to jump up them or even lick them, no matter how good their faces and hands smelled of the food the children had been eating.

I found LeRoy, either lost or abandoned on my hunting lease on the day before Mother’s day.  He was in terrible shape, more resembling a hairy, leather bag full of bones than a vibrant healthy dog.  If he had been used to hunt deer, he would have been in woods on his own for about 2 months.  I don’t hunt with dogs, but appreciate those that do and those who take care of the dogs entrusted to their care.  I brought him home and told my wife to guess what I had found in the woods for her Mother’s Day present.  At first she did not even want to touch him, there wasn’t a place on his body that you lay your hand and not cover several wood ticks – plus she did want to become attached to the dog out of fear that he would not survive.

We took the hound to a vet for a physical and found that he had a broken front leg that had not been treated and the choice was to amputate the leg, or let live with the limp that he had.  We chose not to put him through the surgery, but to take him home and make the best of the abilities that he had.

In effect, LeRoy was in early retirement.  His only responsibility was to watch over the neighborhood and let us know if he heard, saw or smelled any thing strange.  He nose was astounding in what he could detect. LeRoy would smell our breath and, in the expression with his eyes, ask you where “his” hamburger, chicken leg or steak was. (more…)