i am speading the word about a wonderful story about a soldier who adopted a puppy while deployed. the dog was lost en route to the US and found after a 44 day journey – there is a beautiful video story on you tube: www.youtube.com/44daysoutofkandahar. the family has written a book and i think this will inspire you. thank you for your time – love the show!

Rachel from MD

I just finished reading your wonderful book. It was amazing to me, since I have been so depressed over the loss of my dog, Loki, to hemangiosarcoma last month.

He was only 9 years old, and had lived a year post-diagnosis and splenectomy, which is I guess pretty uncommon. So we were lucky to get that year, I guess. But it was a bittersweet year. I felt like I mourned him so many times – when he first collapsed with the ruptured spleen, when he went into emergency surgery, when his test results came back positive for this horrible cancer, and then when he began to downslide a few months ago, it was just this continuous hard thing.

And he was the sweetest, strongest, most loving dog I’ve ever known. So smart! So happy. Always in the middle of everything. I still ask, why did this happen?

I’m still so depressed about it. I was depressed the months before we had to put him down too, seeing his decline. It was like he aged 10 years in a month or two.

Anyway thanks again for writing your book. It was a very cathartic read!

Elizabeth from PA

On November 20, I had to take our ten year old German Shepard (Lucy) to the vet for the last time. She developed a tumor in her heart causing the sack around the heart to fill with fluid. Our vet was able to save her after the first attack on Saturday but it was a matter of time before the sack filled again causing heart failure. Tuesday morning, I had to drive her to the vet, carry her in and stay with her in the last moments of her life as the vet put her to sleep. Since that time I have been ridden guilt as I feel I let her down. I have relived those last moments over and over again in my mind.Could she have lasted a couple of more days? Would a natural death be better? I think I could have handled a natural death better than the thought of my part in her death. I know it was the humane thing to do but was it the right thing to do. My heart is broken as I have lost my best friend. My kids are grown and gone but she was there always at my heels following me everywhere I went. She had such an wonderful disposition any words I would use to describe her would not do her justice. I will try to pick your book up but I don’t know if I can read it at this time without breaking down. Thanks for this format to share my feeling. Lucy will live in my heart forever and I hope there is a dog heaven, she deserves it.

Gary from TN

We rescued “Rusty” from a young man who routinely got drunk and beat up his dog. We had just lost our 17 yr old Cassidy and wanted a small, short haired female puppy. We got a 1 yr old, 80 lb male Golden! We renamed him Hemingway as he was a regal and charismatic long red haired beauty with a perfect head & face. And what feathers he had! He developed a wonderful vocabulary and despite his past, was loving and gentle and free of behavior problems. People who didn’t even like dogs fell for Hemingway…he was that kind of dog. He was a ball-aholic who would happily chase a ball endlessly if we would let him. We fell hard for him.

Six mo after we got him, my son was killed in an accident. For months, Hemingway sat with his head in my lap as I grieved my terrible loss. He knew I was in trouble and I truly don’t know how I would have gotten through the next year without him. Before his 8th birthday, he got cancer. For weeks, I hand fed him pancakes, baby food and Ensure to try to save him long enough for the chemo to do it’s job. Because he was mis-diagnosed in the beginning, it was too late to save him by the time we learned the real problem. We went to the vet hospital expecting to bring him home only to learn when we arrived that he had taken a turn for the worst. It was clear we had no choice. He died with his head in my lap as I stroked that beautiful head and told him he was the best dog in the world. And he was.
Thanks, Mark, for honoring Sprite. In that book you honor all the special friends we’ve lost too soon.

Lynne from AZ

About 30 years ago we adopted our wonderful dog Patches from the Humane Society. Since she had been abandoned, we knew nothing of her past and there was no evidence of breed in her appearance. A true mongrel, she had a loving disposition and an unwavering loyalty to her family.

After nearly 16 years, her health was failing and her life drawing to a close. The ache in our hearts was great as we dreaded the day we would have to humanely put her down. A visit to the veterinarian confirmed that her kidneys were failing and an appointment, a final appointment, was made.

The day before, dreading the inevitable, my wife and I comforted each other as we searched for any option there might be for extending Patches life for even just one more day. But there was none. While talking, we looked around and noticed Patches was gone, having been by our side just moments ago.

The back door was open, so I walked thru the yard and gate towards the woods looking for her. As I approached the woods, I looked over and saw her curled up in a ball under a tree. As I walked towards her, I knew what I would find. Sure enough, there was no movement or sign of life. Patches was gone. With a broken heart and tears streaming down my cheeks, I picked her up, held her close to me, and carried her back to the house. After hugging my wife for what seemed like an eternity, we placed her in her bed and drove to the veterinarian’s office for the last time.

How she knew what we were going through, I will never know. I do know, however, that she willed her life to end to spare us the agony we were facing. Her gentle kindness will never, ever be forgotten.

We had other wonderful, loving dogs since, but there will never be another Patches.

Jack from MO

My story of my beautiful cocker spaniel named Kirbiee started back in 1993 when Hubby and I planned her right from the start….went to the dog shows and met a lady who bred cockers. Upon visiting her and seeing her home and her menagerie, we decided to ‘plan’ Kirbiee……..she was born April 15th, funny because Hubby is a tax accountant. I was very careful about her name, I wanted something you don’t hear everyday and we came up with Kirbiee.

The first thing we noticed about her that day when we went to pick her up was her 3 inch eyelashes, only to grow into 5 inch eyelashes as she got older. She had baby fine hair with beautiful coloration. Right from the start, she was the boss…..our other cocker spaniel, Rocky, already 7 years old, just loved her and she knew it so she quickly put him in his place. It seemed like she was always trying to bite him, bite us too, I called her the “Devil Dog”, that was so funny because as this canine Lady grew she turned into the sweetest, most gentle dog with patience and a sweet personality.

Rocky passed in 2004 and her world was lonely……..we got a pug puppy and that proved to be her greatest test of her life as she didn’t want anything to do with the pup and frankly she was too old to bother or care. We since rescued a male pug which took the pressure off poor Kirbiee and all was well once again.

She had a long and wonderful like filled with love and special friends and on monday when the world just got so difficult for her she looked at us and we knew, she wanted to go to Rainbow Bridge. I held her in my arms as she peacefully took her last breath and I could only thank her for being such a great friend and to go and have fun playing with Rocky.

A friend recommended Rescuing Sprite and it was all sold out at my book store so I ordered it online and can’t wait to read it.

So we will go on with a broken hearts but with almost 15 years of memories of that loving girl who made us smile every day…….we will miss you girl.

Sue from CA