It’s been a year now since you’ve lost your beloved Sprite. Rest assured he’s in doggie heaven waiting for the day when you will be with him again. I know that day was hard for you for our dogs trust us with thier very lives. I feel thogh if Sprite could have spoken to you he made of said something like this:

When the Time Comes…

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this—the last battle—can’t be won.

You will be sad I understand
But don’t let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must pass the test.

We have had some very happy years,
You wouldn’t want me to suffer so.
When the time comes,
Please, let me go.

Take me to where my needs they’ll tend,
Only, stay with me until the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do for me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.

Don’t grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We’ve been so close—we two—these years,
Don’t let your heart hold any tears.

Author Unknown

Mark, your the best, thank you for writing this book.

Alex from TX

I am writing on this day that marks one year of Sprite’s passing. Know that my thoughts are with you. We lost our dalmation “Drexel” of 14 years on October 14, 2007. We had him since the age of 8 weeks. It is a great loss and I feel a deep void. A friend of ours gave us your book. Though at times I had to put it down because it was heartbreaking, It also helped me to recall some wonderful memories.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Julie from OH

We had a 5 yr old cocker spaniel which we lost to the tainted dog food, and my husband was so upset and depressed, I have not read your book but I am going to purchase it for my husband for Chirstmas, he really loves your show in the evening we only get one hour in St. Louis. I did finally after only 6 weeks find a black cocker spaniel at a pet rescue and he fills the void, but my husband still misses his dog Brady so much, he was our baby as we are both remarried and have no kids between us. But our new Buddy makes us so happy and we see him doing some of the same things Brady did.
Keep up the great work in trying to turn people around in this really messed up world. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy and Safe New Year.

David from MO

Thank you for sharing your story on Sprite. I can’t tell you how much your book affected me. I do Norwegian Elkhound rescue (have 4) and volunteer in a shelter. I just wanted to let you and your family to know that we are thinking of Sprite having lots of fun playing in Rainbow Bridge but we also know you miss him, especially today.

Daphne from VA

Oh Mark when I heard you on the John Gambling show there other day I was stopped in my tracks when you shared – about today – Dec 7th. You see it’s my birthday. When I was about 8 of 9 I woke up to a Happy Birthday – right – wrong – my parents were very concerned – there was an ambluence across the street and it turned out our neighbor died – a complete shock to all. She was a dear friend of my mother’s. At 52 – that is still vivid in my mind on each birthday and now Sprite will be too.

I bought 2 copies of your book about the day it came out – gave one to a close friend but I just can’t get too far on mine. My dogs are both getting up there in age and that time will come all too soon enough and then I will have time to read it but for now I will just spend the time with them making their time with me as happy as I can make it – as happy as they make it for me. I’ll be thinking of you today – Dec 7 – with many memories for so many people for so many different reasons. Today will be hard for you – Sergei, Katie and I will keep you in our prayers. (those dogs are good at prayers I’ve found)

Mark from NY

What a wonderful companion Sprite was! Mark and his family were the angels that saw him through a difficult time in his last years. Sprite loved them very much. I just read the book because it was good therapy for me. You see, misery loves company, but in it we find strength to move forward and count our blessings—how ironic but it is true.

I lost my beautiful and astonishing Mesha Little Bear Mouse almost 2 months ago at 14 years. With pitch black flowing fur, so leggy he had to cross his legs to keep them out of the way, and so intelligent he was that I had to go to obedience training school to keep up with him.

OUTLAW DOG: He was also a victim of canine racism, (he and his type) based on fairy tales and narrow minded people, so despite this setback he became an ambassador to his race to go way beyond what anyone could expect for the average dog. Mesha was a wolfdog, half wolf, half Shiloh Shepherd, a combination that won him a CD obedience title with the highest qualifying scores, agility competition awards, a Canine Good Citizen award, sled pull awards, high jump awards, broad jump awards, and confirmation awards on his movement and appearance. Most of all, we had such a great bond we were a team that couldn’t be separated. I was very proud of Mesha as any dog owner would know the time and work spent with a best friend to perfect a sport and win every time.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND: He went beyond and further, and had a great communication he played out like in schrades, using objects he would retrieve, put it together to form a sentence and motioning what he wanted. For example Mesha wanted a dog treat (cookies) but when I looked on the fridge, we were out, so I told him, “All Gone”. He must have thought I was stupid, so he went to the garbage and retrieved the empty box of treats and laid it at my feet. Then whined in a “hmmm?” noise and pointed his nose at the top of the fridge. He repeated himself. Then he got me to say hummmm? I looked on top of the fridge again and behind the clutter of dog toys, there was a new box of treats that had fallen over.

OLD TRAPPER: Mesha baited his own traps with dog toys he purposely laid in traffic area of the house, and hid behind a coffee table to catch our other dogs running around the corner who would take the bait. Tashie, his daughter was especially a sucker for his games. He would pounce on them when they took the bait. This baffled me. Was he watching Wiley Coyote cartoons on TV and his Acme machines to catch the Roadrunner when I wasn’t home? I found out one of his aunts did this to trap mice, so this probably was an inherited trait.

TEACHER: I tapped Mesha the nose with my finger and took my finger to my eyes for “look” when I needed his attention to learn a new command when he was distracted. (He learned 43 different commands and sometimes doing our routine every day got boring for him). Mesha turned the tables on me after he retired from shows and did it to me. He would wake me from sleep by tapping his cold nose to my nose and saying “Hummm?” and gave that face in my face stare, “Look at me” ..Sometimes he would take me to the Twilight Zone. I knew he expected me to read his thoughts. He practiced this every day to see if I could guess what he was thinking. Electrons of “thought” were bouncing between his brain and mine like the way aliens communicate. It worked. When Mesha asked me a question with “Hummm”? his tone went up at the end like human speech so I knew he was polite enough to ask and not demand. (more…)