hi mark love your show! this past april i was a bail enforcement officer in indiana, and while chasing a bail jumper i observed a doberman being severly beaten so being a dog lover myself i decided to rescue the doberman and take him home. he is the sweetest dog ever and a real joy to have as my companion. i am now a owner operator for a trucking company and snoopy the doberman goes every where with me i can only imagine how heartbroken you were when you lost your buddy sprite. dogs really are the best companion and friend. people like that micheal vick really want to make me vomit. by the way ive been looking for a copy of your book in my area and cannot find it. please advise how to get a copy. i listen to your show every nite. snoopy is the second dog i rescued from abusive homes.

Brian from IL

I know you’ve been inundated with stories of loss, both canine and human, and my story won’t stand out from countless others, but I want to do this for……me.

I’m a 57 year old ex-military brat. My father was a veteran of three wars, WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. He died in 2002. Until that time, I had never had to endure the loss of a close family member. But, strangely enough, the loss of my Golden Retriever, “Molson”, three years earlier, actually made his passing……easier, if that’s possible. Having to put Molson “to sleep” (what a benign phrase, sounds so peacefull), I actually held Molson’s face up to mine and watched the “light” vanish from his eyes. I ran from the room to my car outside and cried like a baby. Uncontrolled sob after sob. I was not prepared for such a profound loss. The Vet was wonderful. She knew how I would react, and showed me the utmost respect. I’ll never forget that.

I guess the most remarkable part of my story occured three years later, when a stray chocolate lab, “Charlie Brown” literally ran into our house one dark, cold February night, and stole our hearts. We thought that someone lost him. He was about 6 or 7 months old and just a beautiful dog, …he must have run away and somewhere ,closeby, some family was grieving. We put up signs in our yard and at local establishments to try to reunite him with his rightfull owners. Strangely enough, as soon as we posted the signs, someone was taking them down. Why? Well, the answer was immediate….Charlie was in the “chewing” stage! I’d come home every night and total up the days damage to furiture, carpeting, etc. As he approached the $2,000 mark something totally unexpected occurred. You see, Charlie was not the only dog in the house. Molson’s “sister”, Molly (also a Golden) was the “Queen of the House”. and she didn’t take kindly to this young upstart who suddenly appeared after her beloved Molson disappeared. After all, she was 14 years old and set in her ways. She avoided him like the plague, and took up residence at the foot of our bed.

One morning, just before sunrise and the inevitable alarm clock, I heard a soft whine, almost unperceptable, but quite distinct. I turned a light on and saw Charlie gently nudging Molly with his nose and whining plaintively. I knelt down, picked her head up with both my hands, and actually heard her last exhale and felt her….go. From that second, I was eternally in love with Charlie Brown, and awed with the wonderment of life, death, and the ability of seemingly lesser creatures to sense the essance of life.

It was a profound moment, to say the least. And when My Dad passed, I was prepared. I was not new to the experience any longer. That’s how much Molson ,and all of my dogs over the years, have meant to me.
Thank you, Mark, for articulating not only that experience, but for helping me and so many others to not remain complacent about the world around us and remember what truly matters…..love and devotion to another being, human or otherwise.

Sincerley,

Kevin from TX

Cotton was my best friend. She was a Yellow Lab that we got when she was a puppy for our daughter who was then 11 years old. However, she quickly became “Dad’s Dog.” We lost her in 2004 at almost 15 wonderful years of age of a stroke. Cotton moved into our family after we lost another lab mix that we found on a beach in Ocean City, Md. I thought when Saltwater died that I would never again get attached emotionally to another dog. It took Cotton at least an hour to capture my heart. When we lost her I swore again that I would never let this pain happen to me again: we now have two little stray dogs that have joined our family, and although they are my wife’s dogs, I love them dearly. God truly blessed humans when he gave us dogs to love–and to be loved by.

Jack from NC

Dogs have always been a big part of my wife’s and my life. We have seven dogs of our own, and have been a foster home for numberous rescue groups, as well as taking in rescues ourselves. But, rescuing can be very stressful emotionally to see the condition of some of the dogs that have come into our house, and to know the stories of these dogs. We have lost a rescue here and there that were just too far gone for us to save, though we tried everything we could. We have rescued dogs that were strays wondering around, dogs that were confiscated from drug houses and abused, dogs left tied to a tree in a back yard after the dog’s owners moved away. We have seen cruelty against animals that just seems to have no ends. If you would like to see the dogs that we have fostered, and helped to find them homes, you can visit http://www.goldenretrievernut.us/ and go to the top of the page to the drop down box called foster friends. Our new website for our kennel is http://www.flatcoat.net/
The picture is of our seven. If you go to both websites, you’ll notice that Taylor was one of our foster dogs that we couldn’t bear to let leave.

Kevin from SC

Sammy was my buddy. He was like a younger brother to me. My parents and I adopted him when I was 4yrs. Up until March of 2006, he was the most loving dog. I do not remember much of when I was a young kid but I do remember the day we adopted him from our local SPCA shelter. I had been begging my parents for a dog and when they agreed, they were hoping to find a small dog to fit into our small house.

My dad had a friend at the shelter and she called when they received Sammy. We went in and he was in a cage that was next to a Golden Retriever. He was hiding in the back of the cage – very nervous – and was not barking at all. I pointed to him and I named him Sammy. He was such a joy and was always there for me and my parents as well. He taught me responsibility. When I would cry, he would come over and kiss me. When someone in the house was sick, he would be with them making sure they were feeling better.

In his later years, he went through a lot – getting a tooth pulled and an ultrasound done. We, in turn, were there for him. I remember when we discovered he had some kidney problems. He had to get an ultrasound done and he was shaking so hard because he was so nervous. I kneeled down to his face level and was just petting him on his forehead and talking to him.

The day that was the saddest was when my parents and I took him to the vet to put him down. He was 16yrs old and was in so much pain and was just so weak. He was always a fighter and when he was injected, he gave out one last cry. This was the first time I saw my dad cry. We all hugged each other as the vet took him in the back to close his eyes. He brought him back so we could say our final goodbyes. We didn’t think after that moment we could get another dog, but in March of 2007, we adopted a brother and sister chihuahua mix – Nellie and Zoro. They have brought back the joy we had with Sammy and we will never forget him.

Kristin from NY

Thank you Mark for writing this book about you and Sprite. I have worked in a animal SHelter for 18 years and see the heart break daily when some one loses their pets. It has been a need to have a book like yours to refer people to for help in coping. I know this will help thousands. and thanks for the help to all the shelter animals. I know that all the sacrifice of working in a shelter is worth it every day and only hope you too can feel the love from your sacrifice.

Terry from KY