Mark,

I am reading Rescuing Sprite now and it bringing back memories of my sweet Pebbles. Pebbles was a Boston Terrier that I had while I was gowing up. My parents and I had gone to get Pebbles who was the runt of the litter, and the breeder showed Boston Terriors. She had had one black eye and one white eye and the breeder said she couldn’t show here with the one white eye. So needless to say, she came home with us. She had so much energy and love it was amazing. She greeted me at the back door when I would come home from school. She would also lay with me on the couch whenever I stay home from school sick. We enjoyed 10 wonderful years with her. Near the end she would eat but wasn’t able to keep it down, and we also noticed that her stomach looked swelled. We took her to the vet, and were told that she had a tumor that was blocking her throat, and that it was too big to operate. The vet told us that we could take her home if we wanted, but she wanted us to know that she would more than likely starve to death. As much as I loved her, there was no way on the face of this earth that I was going to let her starve….that wasn’t even an option. So we made the decision to put her to sleep. I remember that I went to see her one last time, and she looked at me (I think she knew what was about to happen) and I patted her head and held it. I rubbed her and told her that I would always love her and there would always be a place in my heart that only she would occupy. And with tears running down my face, I turned to leave the room and when I did she barked and I turned around and again told her I loved her very much, and left the room. When I got out of the room, I began to sob uncontrolable. That night while I was in the shower, I began sobbing again and just sat down in the shower and sobbed. My heart was broken. For the next several months, I was in a daze. I missed her so much and still do to this day. I never got another dog until 2002 which almost 15 years later. I am on my own now, and I had begun thinking that I wanted to get another dogs because I love dogs (and all animals). This time I was interested in dachshunds. So I found a breeder and Cinnamon Sue came into my life in October 2002. I just love her so much. I decided when she was 2 that she need a companion and Precious Pepper came home in March of 2004. They both have the same father, but have different mothers. They get along so well. I can’t image my life without them now.

Mark, I wish you and your family all the best in the coming new year.

Best Wishes,

Hulan from NC

Hello Mark,

I am making this short.

I have been with my best friend Juliet 24/7/365 for going on 10 years.

I do not live alone, I live with Juliet.

Here is a picture of her, and she talks to me with her eyes.

I will be very unhappy when Juliet leaves me and I know that day will happen.

I am not prepared for this and I will never be prepared.

I love her very much and I know she loves me, her eyes tell me.

I am US Army Retired and have no spouse only Juliet.

Anyway you and your family have a Merry Christmas 2007!

Jimmy from GA

Dear Mark,
We love you and your show, you tell it like it really is! Our story is quite long but I think you will find it interesting. We too are dog people we have 8 in our home all are rescued dogs of various sizes and breeds, 5 small ones a yorkie, a mini pincher, and 3 Chihuahuas 3 large ones 2 that are a mixed breed and the last one is a beautiful German shorthair pointerWe also own horses as I am a professional trainer and a Hollywood Stuntman and actor, I was diagnosed a little over a year ago with Kidney failure I guess I almost died while I was living alone and working out in LA while my partner Marilyn was back here in Texas holding down the fort , and what a major job that was, I guess that is the main reason I am writing this to you is to speak of what a hero Marilyn is to me. We had three other different dogs back then none of which is with us now as we had to put 3 to sleep at different times in the last 2 years. Marilyns beagle dog was the most recent then there was our ladybug she simply died of old age and Forest our Dalmation, he was a beautiful dog he died suddenly of bladder disease All of this Marilyn had to virtually handle on her own plus take care of and care for 4 horses one of which is a beautiful Paint stallion, we actually own 6 I brought 2 back with me from California, all of this of course was compounded by my health condition which we are dealing with today and continue to love our dogs ( and 3 cats too ) and 6 horses
my stallion is becoming a champion cow horse, that is what I primarily train is working cow horses, I still try to work although it is hard as each day I am not sure how I will feel, and we strugle with the system and all of the red tape one has to go through to get help financial or otherwise for a situation such as this.

Kevin from TX

My beautiful HotShot, Hot Girl Hottie, The Hot. She was only 7 when a big shot in a big pickup could not slow down enough to give her a chance to get out of the road. All he managed to do is permanently break my heart.

Hottie was absolutely the smartest dog I ever had. I loved her so much. I still do not even like to tell the story, because I feel like I let her down by not watching her closer. I hope the Rainbow Bridge is real because I cannot wait to see her again. I still cry over her when I think of our closeness, and it has been over 7 years ago.

I love you Hot and I carry you in my heart always.

Michael from CA

Our black lab, Ebony, passed on in April of 2006…we had her since 1990. We have three boys, but she was our first “child.” She unselfishly and unjealously watch each boy enter the world but she had more than enough love to go around. We miss her so much…the house seems empty without her paws clicking on the travertine. Toward the end, her arthritis got so bad she couldn’t stand up…her quality of life nosedived. She cried as the doctor put her to sleep and died in our embraces…we prau that dogs have souls so that we can reunite with our best friend and family member. GOD BLESS YOU, Mark, for increasing the sensitivity of people to the fact that our pets are family members too and mean so very much to us all. They vastly improve the quality of life for us all

Joseph from AZ

Despite being allergic to their fur, for years I had thought about getting a dog or cat, but wasn’t sure which one to get. I was single, lived alone and knew that a pet would provide some well needed companionship. While I had both cats and dogs as a child, my preference as an adult male was to have a dog. After all, they are man’s best friend. The problem was that at the time I worked long hours and traveled extensively in my job, which did not allow enough time to take care of a dog. I had a friend who had bought a dog only to have to give it away after a few weeks of ownership, realizing that she could not give it the attention it needed.

After years of debating with myself and going back and forth on what to do, I finally decided it was time to make a commitment and choose one over the other. Another friend (someone who has since become my wife) convinced me that a cat would make a great pet and be best for me. I agreed, but in my heart, even though I realized it would not be the best choice, I still wanted a dog. My future wife and I visited a local animal shelter and picked out a kitten. I intentionally selected one that did not meow incessantly as the last thing I wanted was a cat who would never shut up. I knew that would drive me crazy. I named her J.B. At the time, I had no idea of the level of financial commitment I was making and what an important part that cat would play in my life. Shortly after bringing J.B. home, I took her to the vet for her first check-up. As a result I learned that she had a serious respiratory condition as well as viral herpes in one of her eyes that caused continuous tearing. I then found myself regularly taking J.B. to the vet for follow-up tests and medication. Before I knew it, I had spent over $3,000 to keep her alive through tests, meds and surgical procedures. What had I gotten myself into? (more…)