My dog happens to be a cat but I love her more than anything. The day before my birthday, I was joggiing and came upon a dying, 4 wk. old bag of bones lying on the sidewalk. She did not even have the strength to stand up. I jogged her home over three miles. The vet said she would not live overnight due to the many ailments she had. She had no energy to lift her head and had no energy to eat, but I was determined to keep this little helpless kitty alive.

Hundreds of dollars later and many visits to the vet, she is now healthy, beautiful, 17lbs. and the love of my life. AND…the most spoiled brat you will ever meet. I believe that she is my birthday present from God and that God brought her into my life becuase he knew we needed each other. She is truly my best friend. Unfortunately, she is afraid of everbody and everything except me and my husband. She is now 5 years old and her name is Olivia.

I just read your book from cover to cover in a couple of hours and I am soooooooo sorry about sprite. I cried during the entire book.

God bless you, your family and pets.
The book is one of the best books I ever read.
My husband is a huge fan of yours and bought me the book for Hanukah.
Here is a picture of my Olivia.
Sincerely,

Rene’e from TX

Dear Mr. Levin,
Happy New Year.

I just finished reading Rescuing Sprite, in 4 days! My family bought it for me. I love the book. It’s precious, it’s touching, it’s just totally adorable. I lost a dog too. I had an alaskan malamute for 13 years who’s name was Kody (Kodiak Silver Bear) who got very sick and we had to put him down 5 yrs ago. A couple of months later we bought a golden retriever and named him Sam (Samwise Gamgee from the Lord of the Rings.) We love Sam! I swear he was reincarnated from a little boy who loved to play baseball and football.

Kody was a big mush, never an ounce of trouble, same with Sam. Dogs are pure joy…they love you no matter what; never hold grudges, are always happy to see you, are better than most relatives and never ask for money!

I can relate to having a dog (and 2 cats) go to animal heaven, it’s never easy, always difficult. They are like children and my 2 kids are teen boys in high school (I have fraternal twins)…who we are raising to love and respect animals. They day we put Kody down, my husband, kids, vet and I all cried. I cried every day for 3 weeks even at work. The same with my 2 kitties. I can relate to everything you said in the book. You are so good to write that book, to be honest about your feelings and emotions and not afraid to share them with the world. I wish more men would write about their experiences with their pets. I am an avid reader and your book is amazing. The pictures of your dogs are adorable too, such cute faces.

I want to thank you for sharing your story. It really touched my heart and soul.

I hope you have many more years with lovable dogs. All they want to do is love and be loved.

Cherie from MA

My husband and I recently received the book Rescuing Sprite as a Christmas gift. Actually, it was a gift for him from his parents but I stole it and read it before he could:) Anyway, we have two dogs that we have rescued (outside dogs like Kendall grew up with). One is a pit bull mix (Pumpkin) and the other is a golden retriever (we named him Jack of the series 24). They are both beautiful dogs and relish any and every pat on the head, doggie treat, or scratch on the back they can get.

Recently, I took my dogs to a dog park in Grand Prairie. There was a man there with two chocolate labs. My dogs were frolicking around with his and Pumpkin growled and tried to take away the ball from the other two dogs. I put Pumpkin back on her leash and threw the ball to Jack as he fetched it. The owner of the other two dogs came up to me and told me he was going to shoot my dogs if I ever brought them back. Next, he told me, “I am going to call the police on you if you don’t leave.” Then he proceeded to make even more of a idiot of himself when he protested that, “Every pit bull should be put down or shot to death.” I left in a hurry as he was very angry.

I have been back to the dog park twice. What I detest the most is the idea that there are actually other dog owners that are prejudiced to dogs different from their own. I will never know why that man was so mean or unhappy. He just seemed unhappy with himself. I could tell his wife was embarrassed by his behavior but she did not say anything. I cried the whole way home wondering if he would follow me to see where I live so he could kill my dogs unsuspectingly. I was able to forgive him but I will never forget how he threatened my dogs. Luckily, I have never seen or heard anything more from him.

Shayla from TX

Dear Mark,
I received ‘Rescuing Sprite’ as a Christmas Gift from my boyfriend Larry. It was the best gift anyone has ever given me, besides my American Eskimo dog Nina. You see, last year, I had to put my little girl Nina to sleep. She had epilepsy. I worked in an animal clinic for five years as a grief counselor, and even though I had helped hundreds of families through the process of the heart-wrenching decision of ending a pet’s life, I always struggled with the personal decision I made. I knew it was the right decision– but it was so hard for me to let go.

Nina had multiple seizures on a regular basis, and was on two different courses of therapy to try to stop the seizures. The last time she had a bout of seizures, she had eight grand mal seizures in a row, and the seizures changed her personality greatly. The doctors said the brain damage caused by lesioning was only going to get worse, and the drug therapy was now damaging her liver, and causing it to fail. She suffered from the seizures since she was four years old, and was now eleven, but I just could not bring myself to let her go, because she was my baby. (more…)

Dear Mr. Levin,

I just finished reading your book and I think I went through at least a dozen tissues in the last few chapters. I can’t believe how your writing moved me. I have had pets of various kinds during my life – dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs – and each and every one of them has touched my life.

All animals have “their way” of getting into our souls. Presently I have 3 indoor cats and am the mommy to six outdoor kitties (all neutered/spayed) as well. You were a true blessing in Sprite’s life and he is waiting, as are all our pets, to be rejoined with us in heaven. Happy New Year and blessings to you and your family.

Janet from NY

Two years ago I adopted a beautiful beagle from the shelter. His name was Kaiser and on Saturday I had to put him down as he was suffering from degenerative disc disease. I loved that dog more than I can say and I miss him so much.

Vincent from NJ