I penned the following in the days after I had to put my pal to sleep in July 2006. Having heard about your book, I thought I’d share Beezer’s story with you. (The form doesn’t seem to want to accept a picture, however).

Farewell my faithful friend.
It was a warm, late summer day in early September, 1993 when I first saw him. Standing on the sidewalk, waiting for my carpool partner to come down from her apartment, I looked to my right and was startled to see a dog standing there. He had appeared as if out of nowhere, this large, furry golden dog with pointy ears.

He looked at me and I at him. “Hello buddy,” I said. “Where did you come from?” I must have startled him, because he tried to cross busy Springfield Avenue in Maplewood, New Jersey. “No!”, I called out – then watched in horror as a big black sedan swerved, just missing him. He turned and ran back to the sidewalk. I rushed over to him, knelt down and wrapped my arms around him so he wouldn’t run into traffic again. “You okay, buddy?” I asked. He looked up at me and wagged his tail as a two girls spilled out of the grooming salon next door to where I had been standing.

“Is he your dog?”, one asked excitedly, probably ready to pounce on my for letting him run into the street. “No,” I replied. “I don’t know who he belongs to, he appeared out of nowhere.”

“Well, we’ll take him and call the local shelter, to see if anyone is missing a dog.”, she said. I was relieved that someone had him, so he wouldn’t wander into traffic again. As the girls put a lead on him and brought him back to their shop, my co-worker came down and asked what was going on. I told her, and she said she’d check to see what happened to the dog.

The days moved on, as they always do, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the golden yellow dog. My co-worker told me that the dog had gone from the groomers to a local vet and then onto a shelter in town. “You know”, she said, “you should adopt him.” I laughed – my lease specifically said no pets. Besides, he was a beautiful animal; someone would give him a good home.

The next week, I found out that there had been an adoption day at the shelter. The dog that had appeared out of nowhere was the only dog not to be adopted. If a home couldn’t be found for him, he would have to be destroyed. ‘The heck with my lease’, I thought. ‘I can’t let this dog be killed.’

So, on a warm autumn day in late September of 1993, I went to the shelter in Maplewood to see him. I knelt in front of his cage, wondering if he’d remember me. When ‘Butterscotch’, as they had named him, saw me, he jumped up, tail wagging feverishly. He came over to me almost shyly, jumped up and put a paw on the gate and started to whimper, tail still wagging a thousand miles a minute. I slipped my fingers through the fencing. He sniffed my fingers, then started licking them furiously.

I smiled and knew that I had to take him home. Looking up at the woman from the shelter, I said, still smiling, “I’ll take him”. Upon the suggestion of another co-worker, I named him “Beezer”, which was the nickname for John Vanbiesbrouck, the goalie for hockey’s New York Rangers.

I signed all the paperwork, paid the adoption fee and walked him outside. He jumped around, biting at the leash and wagging his tail At that moment a friendship was born that was a deep and loving as one could have with an animal – a friendship that endured for almost 13 years. That friendship was interrupted on July 19, 2006, when I had to put my beloved friend to sleep.

Beezer loved me and I loved him. He seemed to know that I saved him and I knew that he had saved me from the deep depression I had been in since my father had passed away 10 months before he walked into my life.

I brought Beezer home to an unsuspecting wife and landlord. Not a real animal lover, my wife tolerated the dog and was good to him. At first, we kept him in a dog crate next to the bed, not knowing how he’d react to being in our apartment.

Shortly after bringing him home, I woke up one morning and barely had my eyes open when I heard the sound of his tail thumping. I looked down to see him wagging his tail – he had been watching me and was excited to see me awake. Another day I woke up and saw him laying on his back sound asleep, legs in the air and tongue hanging out of his mouth. He slept the sleep of a creature that was content, happy and safe. I knew I had made the right choice. (more…)

Hi Mark, I’ve never written to the author of a book I have read, but I feel compelled to write to you. Although I haven’t finished “Rescuing Sprite”, I have just finished the sad chapter about putting down Sprite. To say I cried buckets is an understatement. Victoria, Australia is currently in the throes of a mean drought and I think my tears would have filled the dams several times over. The reason I write is I too will one day have to make the same hard decision as you and Kendall did. My husband Michael and I are proudly owned by a purebred tri-coloured Australian Cattle Dog called Digger and a beautiful sheltie/red heeler cross (an exotic breed, we say) called Lucy. Digger is nearing his 18th birthday this year. Yep – 18, we are truly blessed to have him in our lives for this long. We are hoping he achieves this. He is slowly going blind and is deaf (or has selective hearing), however it doesn’t stop him getting up to mischief. He has had several tumours removed and as a consequence of one of these tumours had a toe removed from his front left paw, which has left him with a limp. He has arthritis but can still bound around when he has the energy. We treat Digger’s arthritis with medication, physiotherapy and acupuncture, which he thoroughly enjoys. We call him our ‘metro sexual dog’ because he is a sucker for a massage, a warm bath and a blow wave… I have had Digger since he was 8 weeks old. Lucy will be 12 this year and is yet to show any health problems. I have also had her since she was 8 weeks old. (more…)

I just finished “Rescuing Sprite,” and I must say, thank you for writing it. Your story touched me and broke my heart at the same time. We currently have a shelter dog and I could not imagine our lives without him. Buddy is our other ‘son.’ After reading your story, you helped me decide that it is indeed time to add another shelter pup to our household. Thank you for sharing your personal journey and struggle with the world. If only everyone could share your realization of how special not only shelter dogs are, but all pets that have blessed our lives.

Amy from IL

I just finished Rescuing Sprite. I cried when Sprite passed away. I felt that i was reading my own thoughts. My golden retriever, Tyler , died on january 16, 2006. He was my first dog as an adult. He was my kid since i have no kids. He was in renal failure. I stayed with him as the vet put him to sleep. I wanted to yell stop. Like you i felt terrible guilt. I also felt like i killed him. I felt like i took his choices away. I still havent been able to adopt another dog. I started volunteering for golden retriever rescue as a way to honor Tyler. The thought of getting another dog terrifies me. As i was reading your book, i realized why i havent been able to get another dog. I am afraid that i will have to make the decision to put him or her to sleep. If i knew the dog would pass away at an old age then i could handle it. So thanks to you and your book, i now realize what has been holding me back. God bless you and your family for all you do for animals.

Kelly from FL

I recently moved (3 months ago) and brought my Cat of 10 yrs. and my Border Collie of 10 years with me. My cat has always been an outdoor cat, and always self sufficient. He would come home, eat, get lovin and then sleep till it was time to go back outside hunting or whatever. When I moved to my previous house 5 years ago, he spent 2 weeks getting to know the neighborhood and I saw him only once. When I moved to the townhome I am currently in I was worried about letting him out, as there is alot more traffic and all the houses look alike. Well he went out over 4 weeks ago, and I had not seen him since. My Dog Sarah, and Tipper the cat have always been best buddies, although Sarah has always been jeleous of the ammenities that was provided to tipper, that she was not allowed! Anyway, I had all but given up hope that Tipper was alive, spent nights crying over my lack of diligence to keep him in and feeling responsible for his death…I THOUGHT! Exactly 41 days since he was lost, today Sarah and I were sitting in the living room watching tv, (as I am layed-off from work right now), and Sarah was getting all excited and dancing around the patio door leading to the deck. I decided to let her out on the deck (which is upper level and has no stairs) and she went out then came back in and looked at me, then looked back out the door. She did this about 3 times and I decided she heard something I wasn’t hearing, so I went to the door. I heard a faint meow and for a second thought maybe it was a kid screaming in the distance, then I walked out on the deck and clearly heard a meow that I could not mistake for any other cat other than Tipper. I hd to go out and get him as he was so weak from lack of nutrition and being shot at with a shotgun I assume from the wounds. But he is alive, has no broken bones that I know of and is, although weak, very happy to be home and safe! Had it not been for Sarah, my loyal Border Collie, I would not have known Tipper was even out there, and gone to work at my second job without ever knowing. Thank God for little miricles!!!

Patrick from MN

Mark, I just finished reading Rescuing Sprite and all through it, I sobbed! I honestly could only read a few pages at a time and I’d have to put it down. I bought your book this past summer after I saw you on Hannity and Colmes. I, too, am an animal lover and the picture of Sprite on the cover had such a resemblance to my Lexie, whose picture I have attached. I found Lexus romping around on the show room floor at South Bay Lexus when I worked as a switch board operator about 20 years ago. He just came out of nowhere! Literally, off busy Pacific Coast Hwy onto the marble floors of the showroom. I gave him a piece of cheese out of our refrigerator and called my husband to tell him I found our other dog, Jessie, a friend. Lexie was with my husband and me, through all our trials and tribulations, moving from Torrance to Redondo to Canyon Lake, acquiring lots of other pets along the way (Lexie had a “soft spot” for kittens). I wish I could write a book about him. I related to so much of how you felt about Spite, as I, too, have felt that way about Lexie. He was so special. In his later years, he had lumps all over his body – probably cancer and he had arthritis. I used to lay down with him and tell him that he’d never have to worry…that I would be with him until he left this world…that nothing would ever hurt him. My husband, Steve and I knew the time was getting close to having to put him to sleep, as Lexus was really slowing down. (more…)