Mark,

I just spent a wonderful couple of hours reading “Rescuing Sprite.” Thank you for sharing. My two shelties thought I was nuts as i sat reading: first laughing; then crying unashamedly.

My father always told me we were related to a Senator Vest from Missouri who wrote a “Tribute to the Dog” and used it at trial in his early court days. I’m proud to share it with you:

George Graham Vest (1830-1904) served as U.S. Senator from Missouri from 1879 to 1903 and became one of the leading orators and debaters of his time. This delightful speech is from an earlier period in his life when he practiced law in a small Missouri town. It was given in court while representing a man who sued another for the killing of his dog. During the trial, Vest ignored the testimony, but when his turn came to present a summation to the jury, he made the following speech and won the case.

Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.

George Graham Vest – c. 1855

Lanny from TX

I am crying as I write this.

Bucky was 17 when we had to put him to sleep. He was a beautiful yellow lab. He was the lone survivor of 13. He was born early on a freezing cold night when the litter was unnexpected. We should have known then how special he was. He was with us through marraige and the birth of our two children. We kept him alive too long because we were so selfish. He brought great joy to all of us, and taught us to love deeply. Your book is a great reminder of that love. Thank you for sharing your pain with us. I know how hard it must be for you. Because of Sprite, many dogs will also feel that love. He fullfilled his great purpose during his too brief stay with you.

Crying in GA

My story is about a German Shepard by the name of Buck. I can tell you many stories about my friend, when he swam in the surf at Cape Cod, when he alerted me to a fire in the house at 3:00 am but the best is when our house was broken into by an intruder.

I lived with 2 other friends and one night someone broke the window at 4:00am in the downstairs bedroom of my friend. This thug got in the room and started to assault my friend who was dead asleep. Buck was in my room next door and got up and started to pace back and forth then jumped up on the bed and woke me up. He weighed 110lbs. When I jumped up I saw him staring at the door so I thought he needed to go out. I opened the door and he ran straight for my friends room and began to scratch at the door and cry. I knocked on the door and heard a muffled cry so I broke the door open and their was this huge guy on top of my friend hitting him. I just told Buck to “GO” and he charged into the room and hit this guy from the back with his weight. Buck then proceeded to teach this thug a lesson about breaking into the wrong home. He shredded the guy pretty badly and that’s the first time I saw a gang member cry for “MOMMA”. We called the Police and even they wouldn’t come in till I got Buck out of the room. The thug by the way was under the bed and would not come out unless the police helped him- how’s that for a laugh.

Anyway, Big Buck died in my arms 6 yrs later from a heart attack. I held him in my arms and talked to him and felt his big heart beat slower and slower until he simply fell asleep. I was a mess for a long time but I always thank God that he gave me this magnificent friend for the time that he did. He’s buried in my yard in a place of honor and I visit him all the time and talk to him like he’s still here. I know that sounds nuts but I don’t care I owe it to him.

Dennis from NY

I posted the story about a month ago of how our dog Rosie came to America from England. I ended that post by describing how Rosie was diagnosed with Kidney Disease about a year ago and how she wasn’t doing very well recently.

Considering how Rosie was doing, and since I’m such a big fan, I asked my wife to get me “Rescuing Sprite” for Christmas. She ordered me the signed version off of the website and it arrived on Friday November 30.

I don’t travel very much for my job but I did have to travel that following week from Seattle to Atlanta. I took Rosie to the vet for a check-up on Saturday and they drew some blood to do some tests. The results would be ready Monday morning, December 3rd, the same morning that I had to travel. When I landed in Phoenix, where I had a layover, the pilot told us we could now turn our cell phones back on. I turned mine on and there was a text message from my wife saying that Rosie was being put to sleep in about 20 minutes.

I never could have imagined that I wouldn’t have been there for something like this, and neither one of us were really prepared. I called my wife right away and she was already parked in the vet’s parking lot waiting to go inside… the both of us now sobbing.

Thank you for writing this book Mark.

Eric from WA

Mr. Levin:

I just finished reading ‘Rescuing Sprite’ and just had to take the opportunity to let you know what an incredible book it was. I identified a lot of what my husband and I are going through with our dog, a shepard-collie mix named Buddie. She has the look of a shepard pup, with the brown, caramel and white coloring of a collie and the most precious face and big brown eyes.

My husband got Buddie as a pup 15 ½ years ago after we were only dating a year. At the time, I lived in an apartment and couldn’t have pets. So, he kept her at his parent’s house. In the beginning, Buddie was an outside dog, but as she got older my mother in law softened and brought her into the house.

Three years ago, he and I bought his mother’s house in order to help take care of her. We inherited Buddie of course. Before her, I never had a pet and wasn’t sure how to act around her. It wasn’t long before she and I developed a routine that was second nature. I began looking forward to coming home from work and taking our walks. At the time, she was almost 13 and still very spry and active. She would pull me most of the way!

As time went on, I found myself treating her and talking to her as if she were human. I swear, most time I thought she was! Because my husband and I have no children, she filled the void in my life. I would speak to her in gentle tones, whisper “I love you” in her ear, kiss her snout and put my arm around her as she sat up so that her head was nuzzled perfectly under my chin. (more…)

Too much to say about Chip. He was 14 when he died. When my folks divorced after 30+ years of marriage, Chip’s passing was much more difficult to deal with than not speaking to or seeing my own father for around 7 years now. That’s how much I miss Chipper.

Mike from AZ