I’m retired U.SNavy. A story that you might have heard of . 1968 I was a craftmaster on an LCU ,It’s a boat used for carriying.cargo too marine and army up river in Viet Nam It was a pretty big boat , so we had , UDT Boats that ran in fronts of us , Making sure the river . was as safe ,as they can check . Well one of the UDT boats . Had a Dod that had a second sense .any time there was ambush, she would start barking . well one time she staring barking .. The UDT ,came under heavy fire . EVERY one of The UDT was killed . except for the dog. The Star and Stripe Military News paper ,got a told of this artictle, and stated the Dog Lucky.. and kept a long history of Lucky history of ,how much she was able to detect the ememy! Until the day The UDT boat she was on came under heavy fire. I’t said not one foot of the boat didn’t have a hole in it the only one tha was killed was Lucky. The Star and Stripe Head Line , Lucky is Lucky Any more…It had every one that New of the story ….In Tears

Eugene from TN

My husband and myself love youe show. My husband is the one who told me about Rescuing Sprite. With us being such dog lovers it was a very warming and heart breaking story. we loved it. My husband and myself have three Dobermand and a Shepard/Chow mix. The Shepard/Chow(Brandi) is the oldest, she is 12 years ond. Our oldest Dobes(Duke and Autumn) are 5 years old. our youngest Dobes(Cheyenne) is 6 months old. Cheyenne is Dukes puppy. Istead of taking the stud fee we decided to bless ouselves with a grandpuppy. To our amazment Cheyenne and Brandi get along great, and we were worried about the age difference if they would get along. Mark keep up you good work. We love your show.

Donnett from MD

I wasn’t planning on getting a dog. We already had a sheltie at home. But, in helping my sister find a female black cocker, I ended up getting a litter mate to my sister’s new puppy. This poor little baby puppy had something wrong with one eye, it drooped terribly, and no one seemed to want her. I fell in love immediately.

Star had surgery to fix her eye, and, later, she seemed to have constant cystitis. But, I loved her more than I have ever loved another dog. Whenever I hear others talk about a certain dog in their life that they “bond” with. Star was my “soul dog.” We cuddled; she listened to me, and was the best behaved dog that I have ever known. She knew my every thought.

However, in August of 2006, I noticed that she had extreme difficulty walking in her hind legs. After having x-rays taken, the vet found that she had severe hip dysplasia at only 4 years of age! She was put on Rimadyl and a strict diet to lose a few extra pounds. She seemed fine until a Thursday in September of 2006.

She began vomiting and would not eat. I could get her to eat a few treats, but, she would soon throw those up also. Her liver just seemed to be shutting down and her eyes and gums were bright yellow in color. By the following Monday, we were racing across the state of Iowa to the Iowa State University Veterinary Hospital, one of the best in the country. There, she went through a battery of tests, and, tearfully, I had to leave her in their care with a kiss and a promise to be back. Well, by Wednesday, Star passed away during a liver biopsy. She was found to have had cocker hepatitis to which there is no known cure. I would not fulfill my promise to her to be back to get her.

This caused me to go into a depression much the same as you speak about in your book. It was horrible!!

About a month later, a vet in another town told my husband, a UPS delivery driver, that he had someone leave a dog in his entranceway the night before. She was a small, pregnant cocker. They were planning to give her puppies away, but, didn’t know what to do with the mother dog. This vet remembered hearing my husband tell him about losing Star, and, he wondered if we would want her. (more…)

Dear Mark,
I am so glad I decided to read your book, Rescuing Sprite. I finally found a common bond with someone who could totally identify with us concerning our dog’s last year of life. Unfortunately, she shared Sprite’s disease.
Shelby was a beautiful boxer not only in behavior but also in appearance. When she was almost twelve she started to show signs of aging, graying muzzle, some stiffness, etc. But to our horror one morning, we noticed an indention in her skull just above her right eye. Our veterinarian said it was a weakening in the muscle and tissue. He said he didn’t think she was in any pain and she didn’t appear to have any that we could detect. He didn’t say anything about a possible tumor.
Shelby’s appearance and health slowly deteriorated over the next year. All the symptoms of Sprite were hers. After she fell down a flight of stairs we became aware of how her sense of balance was being affected. Thinking back on that event brings tears to my eyes. My husband and I rushed to her and just held her but thankfully she was uninjured. But the sad look in her big brown eyes was so pitiful. After that we put up a child gate to keep her from going upstairs. She still had to maneuver 3 steps to go out to the yard so I put a dog harness on her for me to hang on to so she wouldn’t go down to fast. (more…)

Dear Mr. Levin:
Last October, a work associate of mine gave me a gift that I wish I had not waited this long to read — it was the book you wrote of your beloved Sprite. I guess I was not ready to read about the loss of your best friend because I didn’t want to relive the pain my husband and I had gone thru with both of our dogs, Bingo and Gromit. Shortly after we married in 1997, we adopted an adult basenji from a rescue shelter in Hollywood, CA. Unbeknownst to us that he had separation anxiety and I couldn’t bear to give him up, we decided to get another dog to keep him company. Luckily it worked and for 8 years, Bingo (Basenji) and Gromit (smooth haired fox terrier) were the best of friends although they did get into some arguments over food at times.

A few days before Christmas 1995, Gromit at age 8 who have had health issues with his liver (liver shunt) since he was a puppy, unfortunately passed away in the middle of the night — a top team of specialists tried to revive him. The next morning as I arrived at work, I got the call from the vet. I was crushed. Gromit was not coming home to us. Worst of all, Bingo, who was almost 15 at the time was alone again. Although I adopted 2 more dogs to keep him company, his health was deteriorating. His vision and hearing was pretty much gone, he had trouble standing and his bladder cancer had returned.

Last Spring, my husband and I had to say goodbye to him so he would be no longer in pain. I am sure they are probably frolicking with Sprite and all the other dogs under the Rainbow Bridge having the time of their life! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I enjoyed reading about your life with Pepsi and Sprite, which reminded me of Bingo and Gromit who will always be special to me.

Laney from TX

We got our dog Cooper about a year ago when our first dog, Kato died. He was turning thirteen. We were so heartbroken. We missed the sounds of paws skipping around the house. My family and I decided we wanted another dog, not to replace Kato, but just because we love animals. We got Cooper fom the Humane Society and were so happy that they picked us to get to adopt Cooper. He is now involved in almost everything we do and living a great life. We love Cooper so much and he is like another child. My family and I will never forget Kato, though.

Heather from NJ