Mark,

I have tried to finish your book several times now but I just can’t stop crying it reminds me so much of our beloved Pepper and how much I still miss her.

We met Pepper at the Franklin Twp Animal Shelter-My wife and I got there right before they closed and while there were many wonderful dogs there; I just couldn’t take my eyes off of a Tan/BlackShepherd/Beagle mix. She was so frightened she sat in the back of the cage and wouldn’t even look at us. We took her home…She had been abused and lived in the wild for 6 months. We really loved her, we got rid of her fleas and mange and got her fixed. She even started to bark which she hadn’t done in the first six months we had her.

She hunted every groundhog, squirrel and snake on our property and had this funny way of laughing that I have never heard before. We took her on trips in the US and Canada. She had an amazing way of communicating with me, she would run into the living room cock her head a certain way and I knew exactly what she wanted it was amazing!

She got sick right before she turned nine. it started with severe food allergies and eventually developed into an immune deficiency in which she was losing red blood cells. We kept her going another 5 years with treatment,pills special food everything…..

Finally she had to have an operation that was iffy but she had to have it. She died after surgery. The weird thing was that about 5 minutes before the vet called to say she died my wife and I both heard a howl that no one else heard.

It was a VERY painful experience. About 6 months later we got a new friend a Basenji mix named Sable-

Thanks for All you do!

Jeff from NJ

I am new to this kind of communication but am reading your book (and going through the “decision”) and felt compelled to write. We have a mixed rescue dog that is part Newfoundland and whatever else (mostly Newfie traits!) and his name is Noofy. We’ve had him 12 years and he is the sweetest most lovable dog I’ve ever seen. I can’t but cry as I write this! He weighs in at about 55 pounds, he was about 75 in his younger years. As many big, older dogs do, he has arthritis. Just in the past day, he has really started to show huge signs of discomfort. He tries to sit and goes down about half waty then stops. Then he paces. Then he tries again. Then he paces. We have an appoitment with the vet to discuss possible meds (he’s been on baby asprin for a while but now it seems to have stopped helping). We have also had a cold spell here (the high today was34 and I know that’s hard on him). I too work at home and as I write this, he is laying and pacing beside me. My husband has asked me repeatedly how long will I allow him to suffer. I tell him until I’ve done everything humanly possible to ensure he isn’t suffering. But the thought weighs heavy. When I read what your mother said about Prince and that they let that go on too long, well….

Dog lovers are a great breed (no pun intended!). And you’re book has touched me. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried and felt like I was right there with you. Thanks for allowing me to share my story and express some of my feelings. We have three kids and when we lose Noofy, it will be awful! Two years ago, my middle child left the gate on the dog lot open and Noofy loves a chance to roam. He came home with a .22 shell in his left shoulder, barely missing major arteries. My daughter was so upset and felt so guilty. Noofy lived even more like royalty after that! We’ve had the dog longer than our kids. I only hope he knows how much love and joy he has added to our lives. I feel like in comparison, we’ve failed him.

Amy from NC

It has been very painful, as I’ve watched my precious loyal friend Rufus struggle as diabetes robbed her of her health, joy, and eyesight. She then developed heart disease along with arthritis. None of this prepared me for this week, when I had to approach the Vet about Rufus suffering with her health problems.

We both agreed it was time …….Rufus is almost 16 years old, and today I carried her all over my property, as we went for our last walk, tonight will be our last. I have tried to prepare myself for this horrible time, but nothing has prepared me for this pain. I can relate to Mark and all the pet owners on this site.

I just pray this pain and guilt will ease over time, because I know little Rufus doesn’t deserve to suffer. Tomorrow I will hold her as she draws her last breath.

Jeff from NC

While reading Rescuing Sprite to my blind husband it was so hard to read without crying.

Duke, my 10 yr old Doberman was the biggest baby. He was so gentle, thought he was a lap dog. Like you said in Sprite, he was always there for me with kisses, patients, love and when my depression kicked in he would just be there. He would get in my lap and the kisses would be bountiful.

One night I found a lump on his throat. The vet did a biopsy on it, but it was clear. Where the growth was it just couldn’t be removed without Duke bleeding to death. the vet said just love him, take the best care of him you can and when the time is right he’ll let you know. Duke was so special to me with the love he had for me and my cats. They all slept together. (more…)

Mark,
I received “Rescuing Sprite” as a Christmas gift from my father, who, along with the rest of my family, shared with me the life of my beloved Polo, a rescue from the Humane Society in Huntsville, AL. I was in college at the University of Alabama when I got Polo. She was the last of a litter of puppies, all her siblings and her mother had already been adopted. There she was, in that cage, all by herself, and I knew that was the dog for me. She went through college with me, then my single years, then me getting married and having a baby. She was my companion through 16 years of changes. She was my best friend through it all.

I moved to Maryland when she was 12, and I wasn’t sure how she would handle the move. She handled it beautifully, and became crazy about my husband, even though she’d had me all to herself for 12 years. I had my first baby when she was 15, and she was really starting to slow down. She had no known health problems, just old age. She started pacing during her 15th year, so much that she wore the pad off of her foot and it bled everywhere. It was so hard because there was no diagnosis, no life threatening disease. Just old age. She began to have trouble standing, her muscles were giving out on her. Her pacing got progressively worse.

When my son had just turned one, I realized that Polo did not have her quality of life anymore. I tried everything I could to deny it, but I finally had to face it. (more…)

Thank-you for such a beautiful story. My husband gave it to me for Christmas, and I read it with my 3 (rescue) greyhounds within arms reach. I dread the day something happens to them, but with their cancer risk, recognize that odds are, that day will come. God bless your family, including your pups.

Cindy from OH