I sent a reply to you awhile back about my kitties and dog Max. Now I have another story to tell. When I first read your book Saving Sprite I could hardly read it in one sitting without getting choked up. I remember thinking what would I do if I had to face this with Max. The pain was to great to even think of. But last week Max went down in his hips, we took him to the vet and they tried meds, and he ralied one day. December 24 2007 we had to say goodbye to a very dear and faithful friend. They think it was some sort of cancer going on and since he could not stand, I could not let him suffer. Max came to us at 4 weeks of age, and gave us 10 years of great joy. The pain is so raw. But it was almost like your book was preparing me for this. So now I say so long to my faithful friend, I will never forget you.

Sheila from GA

I had to say farewell to a furry loved one, and five days shy of her second birthday. She had hemolytic anemia really bad. We did all but a bone marrow transplant. My loving and kind vet assured me that after the blood transfusions, my Murphy had little hope of surviving such an operation. I was with her as she left my life. Never does a day pass when I don’t miss her. And there will always be that lingering guilt. Could I have done more? Like you, I have her cremated. Unlike you, I keep her with me. For months I kept her between my pillows, where she would sleep. Even after a Christmas puppy came into my arms, she was there. After some time, I placed her in an equally precious home. My girl, Reilly has helped me move on. But I lost two dogs in that time…one passing in her sleep…the other by my signature on a piece of paper.

My Dad gave me your book about Sprite tonight as a Christmas gift. I read it in two hours. I sobbed. I hurt. I glorified my Roxy and Murphy. I felt your journey, and hurt all over again. But I saw you welcome a new dog, as I was forced to do with the gift of Reilly.

And like Robert Frost said about the road not taken…that has made all the difference.

Your book was emotionally hard to finish, but I am glad I did. I feel some much need kindred spirit has helped me find a way to gain closure.

Bless you. Thank you.

Melissa from LA

Dear Mr. Levin:
Thank you so much for writing your book. I just finished it last night. I got an autographed copy to give my sister for Christmas, as she lost her dog Gus about a year ago. He was a rescued dog. He keeled over of a heart attack we think…we rushed him to the vet hospital, but got hung up in stopped traffic at a light, and the dog died enroute. He was a young beautiful yellow lab. After that, we got Woodie. He is part yellow lab and we think, part airdale. He has curly hair and a beard, and a brown leathery nose. He has spots on his tongue, and he is always smiling. He always looks you in the eye. He has the run of ten acres, he is a groundhog killin’ machine. He likes to patrol the perimeter in case any intruders trespass. Today, Christmas Eve, he got to go to the dog groomer. He came back twice the size he left, as they bathed him, trimmed his beard, and blow dried him. He looked like a yellow powder puff, and boy was he proud of his looks. We think he is one great dog.

Well, anyway, thanks for your book. I wrapped it up after I read it, and my sister will get it for Christmas.

Nancy from PA

Dear Mark,

I’m Elizabeth Rose – the evening news anchor at affiliate KOH in Reno, Nevada. While on vacation in Phoenix last week, I managed to grab one of the last copies of “Rescuing Sprite” in the airport bookstore (the lady ahead of me scooped up the other three on the rack).

I read half the book on the flight home to Reno, only stopping when the flight attendant asked me for the third time if I was alright, as the tears rolled down my face. I finished the other half between 2 and 5 am that night, and cried for you and Sprite, and for my “baby” cats.

I lost both my cats in the last few years. So I could understand your grief, even though I was blessed for as many years as I had them (or actually, they had me!).
Jezerey was *22*, but she was my baby and it was very hard to say goodbye. She was a shelter cat. I went in searching for a kitten that looked like a greeting card, and left with a 6 month old tabby/calico/siamese mix that didn’t know how to meow. Her entire vocabulary was “reah”, “meh” eyaah” and “n-gah”. But she got her point across. And if you have ever been chewed out by a siamese cat, you’ll understand.

My other cat, Sam, was rescued from a neighbour’s yard where he and his brother had been abandoned with a large bulldog whose pups had been taken away too soon. We had never seen orange bulldogs before, so we went to check them out. Another neighbour took Sam’s brother in. Sam was a fetcher, and loved small tin foil balls, the plastic strip from milk jugs, and anything else that woudl skip across the floor easily and could be picked up easily to return for more throwing.

I guess neither of my cats realized that they were supposed to act aloof and ignore everything but the food dish. Jezerey thought she was human, and Sam thought he was a dog. He was 16 when I had to say goodbye.
They are both buried under a tree named “Stanley” on my 42 acres of property in the high desert northeast of Reno. I can see the tree from my front window, and I go talk with them often.

In closing, thank you for sharing the story of Sprite, Pepsi and your family with us.
Happy Holiday,

Elizabeth from NV

Mark:

I can’t thank you enough for writing this book. It has hit home in so many aspects. I am spending this holiday in a hospital away from my husband and children in order to be with my Mother who is recovering from cancer surgery at 84 years young.

We have had our little roller coaster ride of emotions, hardships, and joys in the last few weeks. I have been reading “Rescuing Sprite”, when my Mom is up to it, and also as a reward for doing her breathing exercises, and for sitting up in bed, or in a chair after being flat on her back for over a week. We take small steps of progress. We have had several setbacks this week, and today (Christmas Eve) things are much better.

You see, two days ago things were not looking so great for a lot of reasons. Some were medical, and other just personal. Following is my recent pet story to share.
*******************************************************
A few days ago I went back to Mom’s house for a quick shower after spending yet another very long day and night in her room on the cancer floor. Our routine had not been much different from the day before and the day before that. Little did I know that we were in for a short adventure that at the time seemed to move in slow motion.

There had been another ice storm the night before, and the roads were very slick. Travel advisories were being broadcast. I drove very slowly to her house for the one job of letting her little rescue dog (Sasha) of 9 years, out to do her business. In my hurry to force her to get the job down, and still have time for a quick clean up for my own sake, I forgot to unlock the backdoor behind us. The central heat came on when we went through the second door. This event sucked the backdoor shut, slamming behind us. We were now locked out! (more…)

When I saw the cover of this book, I did a double take – my dog Spencer could be Sprite’s twin! We’ve had Spencer for 4 1/2 years, and know nothing about his past, other than that he had been living feral for some time prior to being taken in by someone who got him the vet care he needed, and then posted his profile on petfinders.com, where we found him. We think he is about 12 years old.

I received this book today (Christmas Eve) as a gift, and cannot wait to start reading it. This picture of Spencer was taken today.

Fauniel from FL