It is my sad task to report on the passing of my best little pal for the last 9 years, Skinny the Cat. Skinny was her official name because when we first met, I took her to the vet for a checkup, and when the vet asked me for her name, I said:”…I don’t know…she’s a skinny little cat, so how about Skinny?”. Skinny was ordinary as far as cats go, just a simple black and white shorthair female I first met around Christmas in 1999 when I bought my house in Seaside. There was this feral cat hanging around the yard that wouldn’t let me get too close. There’s lots of gophers around here and I’d see her running along the fence in the back with a gopher she’s nabbed for dinner, and all the while we were together she was always on the lookout for that fresh meat for lunch. The gophers around here will be telling tales of the legend of the great black and white gopher hunter for a long time to come.

When the weather turned cold and rainy that year, I would see her on the roof of the house behind me huddled up next to the heater vent for some warmth. At that time my wood frame garage had a lot of rot damage in one corner that needed repair and I would go into the garage and Skinny would be in there sitting on my old pair of work shoes, but would bolt through the hole in the garage when I came in. This went on for 3-4 months.

Finally, I got a can of cat food, dumped it on the concrete path going into my yard, and left. Skinny ran over and inhaled it. I did this every day for a couple of weeks, each time getting a little closer and talking to her so she’d get used to me. After that, I inticed her into the house, and we’ve been pals ever since. That’s when we first went to the vet, who told me the cat was only about 18 months old and had already been fixed. How she got to be on her own living on the gophers in my yard I’ll never know.

Skinny was as loyal as any friend could ever be. She was always there ready to roll around on the couch for the daily “wrestling” match, to jump on my desk when I’m on the computer, to jump on my chest when I was watching TV, and constantly “telling” me about her day. (more…)

HEY MARK,
THIS IS BUTTONS AND MATTIE MY SWEET LITTLE POODLES!!
I RECEIVED YOUR AUTOGRAPHED SPRITE BOOK IN THE MAIL THE OTHER DAY SO NOW I’M READY TO READ IT! I’M SURE I’LL BE CRYING MY EYES OUT!! I LOST A POODLE THIS YEAR HER NAME WAS MISSY SHE WAS 14 YEARS!! I’M SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS OF SPRITE BUT HE COULDN’T HAVE GONE TO A BETTER HOME THAN YOURS!!
TAKE CARE MARK AND  GOD BLESS!!

HELEN FROM NC

Mark,
I also grew up in Cheltenham township; I learned we were neighbors in childhood when I was given Rescuing Sprite as a gift; which is an understatement. This book is a god send, and I will cherish your story forever. I rescued a dog from a shelter in Southern Illinois, maybe I should say the dog rescued me. I was in a deep depression, my marriage was falling apart due to lack of commitment, and understanding. My awesome friend Jayna peeled me off the sofa, and drove me, with her retrever to the local shelter. She stated we were not leaving with out a dog; this experience brought me to tears, how do I pick just one, there were so many, and all needed adoption. I had to leave to go outside to gather myself from an emotional breakdown. Jayna follwed me with her dog outside, and stated again we are not leaving until you adopt a dog.

From the first walk in and out there was only one dog in the shelter that was not barking, or jumping, she in my mind was as depressed as I was for different reasons; hers were worse, she was abandoned, unlove, unwanted. We took her out for a walk, and Sadie the retriver loved her from that very moment, as did I. I held her in my arms like a baby, as they suggest to know if the dog will trust you. My dog lay relaxed in my arms, and she was offically mine in this moment; papers signed. Mona Lisa is her name, she has mayballene eyes, and a smile to die for, she is a Dingo, a really honest to G-d full native american dog. (more…)

Dear Mark,

I wanted to thank you for writing Sprite’s story.

In 2003, my husband’s parents got divorced. It was an ugly battle, and their house was foreclosed on. Mmy husband and I were just dating at the time, he was still living at home, and out of necessity we moved in together. His dog of 13 years, Hank, also came to live with us.

As an avid dog lover, I absolutely adopted Hank as my little boy. He was a springer/aussie mix, dark brown, and was incredibly smart. He was definitely showing his age. About 6 months into us having him, he was having accidents on the floor, unable to hold it until we got home. The house we were renting had a doggie door and we taught him to use it – he picked it up in a flash.

Not long after we bought a home and again had a doggie door – Hank loved the freedom it gave him. He would sometimes just wander outside to sniff around, or wait for us to get home. He was my buddy – he got up early in the morning with me and just sat near me while I had my coffee. When my husband would tickle me, he would bark at him as f to say, ‘Hey, you leave my mom alone!’.

About a year after we moved into the new house, we noticed Hank’s back legs would give out on him and he had increased incontinence. Assuming arthritis was the culprit, we took him to the vet to get some meds. The vet had more serious news for us – Hank had neuromylepathy, a condition similar to MS in humans. (more…)

Dear Mark,

I just finished reading Rescuing Sprite loved it. At our house we have rescued many animals, dogs and cats that people have dropped off in the woods at our home. We live on 5 acres so they think they are dropping them off in woods. Right now we have 2 cats and a dog that is now at least 15 years old and I dread the day I have to make the same decision concerning my aging dog.

My sons are in the military and brought home their animals to our house before leaving for duty. Unfortunately that was too many and we spent 5 months trying to find homes for these animals. I picked up your book after placing their animals in homes and read it on the way home. I cried because of your book and also because of already missing my son’s animals after one short day in their new homes. I know they are in good homes, but in the short time they were here, I had grown attached. I plan to keep in touch with the wonderful familes who adopted these older animals while my sons are serving our country. We could all learn from animals unconditional love. Thanks for a great book.

Nancy from GA

Dear Mark
I just got done reading ur book. What a great job you did. I felt like Sprites and Pepsi’s Uncle and still do. I thought I had a more than average amount of machismo for a man of my age (50). I can’t tell you how many times I cried like a baby reading the story of Spritey. Just writing about it makes me tear up. I don’t have a dog at home. My house is too small and I’m on the go alot and that wouldn’t be fair to a dog. However at work we have two big dogs. About 7 years ago someone dumped 2 dogs off near our work. 1 male and 1 female. Of course we started feeding them. The female was mostly a border collie and the male is mostly German Shepard. They had a litter and from that litter we kept 1 pup that looked like mom. Now he’s a huge (98 lbs) boy.

About 2 months ago we couldn’t find momma dog. We looked all over and found her out in the woods. She had been bitten by a poisonous snake and died. I cried for days. Now the remaining 2 dogs, Duke the dad and Pinto the huge big ole baby won’t leave each others side. The unconditional love they show us is truly amazing. How anyone could “dump” any dog off is beyond me. I don’t have any pictures. I want to thank you for writing your book. I have an even deeper love for our dogs. Give Pepsi and Griiffen a hug and kiss for me please.

Mainard from TX