In the winter of 2005 we had a heavy snow year…Here is a picture of my dog and a half. I say dog and a half, because the dog on the bird-feeder, Carson, is my neighbors. He comes over when his dad goes to work at 6AM. He spends the day with us…then when my neighbor comes home Carson and my Basset Hound, Bubba, go to my neighbors house to sleep.

Neal from NV

Fifteen or Eighteen years ago while living in California my son and his wife took their dog to the vet. While ther they met a red haired shepherd type dog that had been abandoned at the clinic. They decided that he would be the perfect fathers day gift. After taking the dog they contacted my wife with their plan and she said no no. They kept him and named him Marvin. After many moves incuding Japan they and we moved to Virginia. They live in a townhouse and at age 12 or so Marvin could not get up and down the three flights of steps. They asked if I would take him because we lived in a single family house in Manassas. I laughed saying it took 12 years but I finally get my gift.

Marvin loved his new house and improved physically. He was a great companion. I had also slowed down and we spent hours reading with him at my feet. One day however he appeared to be about 3 years of age. An unwelcome visitor came to my door. We argued and he would not let me close the door. Marvin woke from his nap and came to my side. His hackles rose, his teeth were bared and he growled from deep in his belly. The visitor left quietly. My son and I accompanied him to the vet and we like you had probably the worst day of our lives.

Gail from VA

Blue (a beautiful Bluetick) came into our life unexpectedly in 1995. Our 16-year-old son, Chris, found him wandering around in the fields in our neighborhood. It took Chris a while to be able to get close enough to put a leash on him but he did and Blue was brought to our house. He had a collar on with a phone number on it and we called the fellow who owned him but he wouldn’t come and pick him up despite our efforts. It seems that Blue was not a great hunting dog…. he’d run away when he was turned loose and his owner was tired of it. That is how we came to own this dog.

Blue wanted NOTHING to do with any human…NOTHING! We never had a dog we couldn’t pet and it took a full year of my husband working with him for Blue to trust us. Over the years, Blue became the best hunter my husband had. You couldn’t walk into the back yard without Blue running up to you to be petted and loved. If you sat outside, he wanted to crawl into you lap. He was one of the most loving animals we ever had and we always have at least 8 dogs running around at all times. The relationship he and my husband had was always special.

The hardest decision my husband had to make was to have Blue put down in October 2007. He sat on the floor with Blue in his arms for hours talking to him and crying. I’m crying as I write this. All three of my sons and my husband cried for two weeks and still do when we speak about him. We were so lucky to have had him for 12 years. That rescued dog was loved beyond most people’s comprehension.

Mary Jane from NC

Mark,

I spoke to you at the end of your 1st hour on 12/12/07. Molly lost her dog in January, she’s been searching for it since then.

Uncle Dick was a WWII Marine paratrooper, Shot in the back while paratrooping on those (Guam & Iwo Jima) islands. His final duty in the Marines was bulldozing corpses at Hiroshima,

He whistled just like you can. That’s why I “lost it” when talking to you on the radio today,

You reminded me of Uncle Dick. From 22+ years ago.

Thank you.

Please whistle for Uncle Dick & Me.

James from MI

Hey Mark,

I have not had a dog for a few years,10 years tooo much! my five year old wanted a dog. Like a lot of people, I said we have two cats, and that is enough! but when we found this new member to our family, it all seemed to click. We got her from a shelter in Mariposa co. CA. She is now appx. 2 years old, and is one of the best things in my life besides my wife, daughter, and all my family. We love youre show, keep up the great work. Lots of love.

The Kroekers from CA

hey mark,

well its me josh again. i just finished reading the copy of rescuing
sprite my wife got me for my birthday. i gotta tell you mark that is the
most beautiful book i’ve ever read.

I too am still dealing with the loss of my best friend dusty. he was a black cocker spaniel mix. he had beautiful
brown eyes and long black eyelashes. he was my buddy. i adopted him from
the la county animal shelter when i was in jr high school and he lived until
summer of this year. i woke one morning to my neighbor calling into me that
my mom and dog were being attacked by a pit bull. i raced outside and my
neighbors and my mom we’re trying desperatly to rescue dusty from the jaws
of this mad pitbull. through the screams of my family and neighbors i knew
that i had to act fast. (more…)