Two copies of Rescuing Sprite arrived yesterday from Amazon.com. How ironic that I started reading it on December 7. I finished it today and had to keep the tissues handy. Harley was my family’s beloved dog who also had to be put to sleep. What a love sponge he was! And he returned love showers. Harley was a tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that we bought from a breeder in Fredericksburg, VA. My husband “hated” dogs. He’d been bitten several times and chased repeatedly as a long-distance bicyclist. Good friends, Betsy & Lou, who live in a Philadelphia suburb, had a CKCS when we visited them one day in 1988. For a few years, our daughter and son had begged us for a dog and Dad would always say “No.” When we left Betsy & Lou’s house that day, Tim said, “I wouldn’t mind a dog like that.” Well, it didn’t take long to kick into action. (more…)

I just finished your book. I cried through almost the entire book. I just put to sleep my “baby”, Bobo, in October after trying everything to save him. I have no regrets, as I chose to end his suffering before it got much worse. It didn’t make it any easier and I could relate to so much of what you wrote in your book. It just brought me back…but also helped me so much to realize that my thoughts and feelings weren’t just mine and that they were normal!! Just like you, i didn’t think I was ready, but 3 weeks later I adopted Myles from a foster home. He is awesome. I miss Bobo and will never forget my “first child”, but the happiness and joy I feel for rescuing another dog is indescribable and I know I did the right thing.

Thank you so for writing that book and helping me understand my grieving and that I’m not alone.
I bet Bobo and Sprite are up in heaven having a great time and without the ailments that held them back down here!

Lauren from NJ

Our dog’s name was Sara, a mutt whom we loved dearly. She gave us her undying devotion and was funny besides. When it was time, my husband took her to the vet who put her to sleep and left her there. When our daughter-in-law’s chow, Chewy, for self-explanatory reasons, became old, ill and had every operation available to keep him alive, she had him put to sleep and cremated, keeping him in the living room in a beayiful urn. But 10 years ago she called that her husband, the father of her 2-year old son and the older of our 2 sons, was dead, it was devastating beyond expression or belief. We all felt nothing but numbness. The funeral was a blur. Our remaining son, who was the apple of our older son’s eye and vice-versa was like us. Totally bereft of any emotion. Our deceased son’s name was Steven. His brother’s name is Doug. It has been 10 yearsn since Steven w ent homer but we all shall always remember how he lit up any room when he entered, how he always said, “I love you,” at the end of a phone call whether it was me or his father. (more…)

Mark,

I picked up Rescuing Sprite last night and literally could not put it down. By 2am, I finished it cover-to-cover, and was literally soaked in tears.

I am a dog lover myself and own two dachshunds named Maedchen and Belle. After reading it, I am honestly a changed man. After closing the book cover, I immediately loved on my dogs and took them out for (now then) an early morning walk. Your book makes me appreciate my dogs, family and life in general, more than ever before. It reminds me just how precious our time on this world truly is.
Thank you so much for sharing your heartfelt story about Sprite. I know you and all the others he touched will forever miss him, and I wish you all God’s blessings.

Preston from TX

Mark, I just bought your book this morning and my friend recommended I get your book. I was in tears while I read your wonderful story. It is nice to know that other people feel the same way and experience the same grief when losing a pet. We had to put down a dog almost 10 years ago and it was such a devasting moment in my life. Now I am faced with that again with my (2) 13 year old Lhasa’s. One of them is in bad health with diabetes and we don’t know how much longer we will have with her. We also have (3) Saint Bernards. One of my Saint Bernards whose name is Winston is 3 years old. He is my world. He has such a huge heart and it is almost as like he has a human’s soul. He has changed my life and I cherish every moment I have with him and the rest of my “kids”. I know Winston is only 3, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the terrible day when he is no longer in my life. The grieving process starts early when you have a pet while they are still alive and I truly believe that. I always joke with my husband and I tell him, the day Winston goes, I will need to be heavily medicated because I can’t imagine the grief that I will experience with losing him. Your story was amazing and I will tell everyone I know that is a dog lover to buy your book. I have it sitting on my coffee table. I wanted you to know that I don’t read books that often and it has to be a good book for me to read it and one I can relate to. I related to your story more than you can ever imagine. The most important thing we can all do is cherish everyday we have with our beloved animals and shower them with love while they are here with us. Thank you again for writing such an amazing book.

Allyson from TX

Mark,
I heard your show for the first time last week on my way home from class. I caught you in the middle talking about Sprite, I was taken by the passion and love that you displayed for your dog.

The story that I want to share with you is about our dog Lucky. During the winter of 2004 my fraternity Kappa Eta Kappa (KHK) decided to find a dog for the house. She was a three year old chocolate lab that we rescued from a puppy mil, she was used and abused as a breeder mom for two years of her life. When we met Lucky she looked sad and was sharing a cage with an old yellow lab we knew we had to take her home and rescue her. When we got Lucky home she was scared and confused about her surroundings. We found out over the next few days that she had been malnourished and beaten. She would hardly eat, never smile, and would never leave the corner of the room she was in.

Within two weeks she was eating regularly, within a month she was all around the house saying hello to all she found. As the summer the fallowing year passed Lucky became more and more of a handful and a joy to be around but not all of the members of the fraternity thought we could keep her, after much debate we decided to give her to our local coast guard station were we met a group of men who were deserving and respectable. As a plus one of the men also had a chocolate lab that Lucky gets along with like a brother. I get to see Lucky every now and again and she is happy and healthy in her new home. Mark i feel i can relate to you having taken a soul into our homes loving them and becoming part of out family only having them taken from us to early. Today I have two dogs my a shieba enu named Leo and a new jack russel/ fox terrier puppy named Ivan

Chad from WI