I too had an older dog like Sprite, his name was Duffy and I inherited him from my mother-in-law when she passed away in 1998. He died this past July at the ripe old age of 26!!! He was blind, deaf and had 2 strokes which I nursed him thru but he just kept on going like the energizer bunny. He had his days and nights mixed up and would sometimes bark all night unless you were where he could find you. I would take care of him all over again just to have him back. I have two other dogs though, an overweight 6 yr old corgi and a 12 yr old yorkie that has only 2 teeth and has seizures. I love them dearly and can’t imagine not being blessed with a dog in my life.

Kim from VA

Dear Mark,
As an animal lover and owner I was very disappointed in hearing you have cancelled you last book signing appearance. I was looking forward to give a number of signed copies as Christmas gifts, without having to pay extra. I am sure you have thought this decision through and suspect you may not have told all. Either case I will do the next best thing and I will still be there Saturday to support the local shop, I will not be intimidated, I will not let “them” win! Living here I have to put up with a lot and in most cases I do not let “them” get away with it, nothing illigal on my part, “they” are the ones who cross lines or laws. No time, not the time for specifics.
Thanks so very much for all you do!

John from NJ

I lost my Furever Friend, Copper, last Dec to bone cancer and having her and losing her has changed my life forever.
She was truly a kid with fur. I have read that if you talk to your dog like you would a human it can have the mentality of a 6-8 year old, and a vocabulary of several hundred words. I know this is true. Copper just could not talk with words.
i will miss her forever. I loved Rescuing Sprite…It was so amazing and it will help so many people who will have to make the most devistating decision of their lives. We all belong to a club that no one wants to belong to and certainly would not join if we had a choice.

I am going to go through this site and read all about all of these Furry Angels.
Check out www.critters.com if you have a chance…it is a wonderful support system for we “mom’s and dad’s” of these Furever Friends.

Carol from ND

Hi Mark,
I just got done listening to your interview with Scott Hennen. I just put my dog to sleep mid October. He was a 14 year old Dalmatian named Bones (b/c he was so skinny as a puppy “a little bag of bones”). My best friend, my constant. It’s a decision that I didn’t want to have to make. I, like you prayed to God to take him in his sleep, but he didn’t and I had to make the decision. My brain tells me that I made the right decision but my heart disagrees. The thing was that “Bones” was still able to walk, talk, eat, sleep and poop. But he was ridden with arthritis and had lost a huge amount of weight this year. I had my vet do an assessment and he told me that something had to be going on with the weight loss. He also said that we could do a bunch of tests-spend a lot of money, and I would still have a 14 year old dog. It was the worst thing that I have ever been through, the most pain by far. I have no children and was married and divorced. I have also lost young people in my life, and this far outweighed the pain of any of these events. I understand when people lose children – but to me he was my child.

I always said that I believed in love at first sight, b/c that is what “Boney Dog” and I had together. I found him in a pet store in Aix en Provence, France back in 1993. It was love at first sight. He came back to the US with me, and when I got divorced 5 years ago. I literally told my attorney that all I wanted was Boney Dog. My husband kept the house and Boney Dog and I moved out. I could go on and on about how close we were, and how much I miss him everyday- but somehow I think you understand that already.

I don’t know that I will ever be ready to have another dog. Not because I don’t think that it would be impossible for someone to fill Boney Dog’s shoes, but b/c I can’t imagine going through this pain ever again. I too thought about quitting my job, selling my house, and the only reason I didn’t was b/c I didn’t have a clue what to do or where I would go. He was my rock, and I know he wouldn’t want me to curl up in a corner and die. (more…)

Hi Mark; I saw your interview with Rush and I have shared your feelings of guilt when it comes time to euthanize one of our “kids”. But I’ve experienced a phenomenon several times with very sick dogs when my wife and I have had to make the decision to prevent suffering by one of our dogs. Each time the dog at the moment when the Vet gave the “shot”; looked at me and wagged their tail telling me it was OK. It has happened several times when I got “the look” of approval’ There are many stories I could relate and perhaps I will as time permits. God Bless you and yours.

Bob from PA

Our dog Webster was living proof that “on the eighth day God created Rottweilers.” He was a big, beautiful, protective, gentle, intelligent, mischievous dog who loved and charmed every single person he met throughout his life, including toddlers who should have been terrified by his size but instead sensed his sweet nature, called him “puppy” and rushed, fearless, to pet him.

My husband and I have no children by choice, and Webster not only brought great joy into our lives but also kept us from becoming totally self-involved. The demands of caring for a new puppy came as a shock to us DINKs but we stuck it out and were rewarded with ten years of more loyalty, love and laughter than we could have ever imagined. Webster had all the notorious Rottweiler stubbornness and sense of entitlement but a firm but fair upbringing and lots of love and attention (we both work at home) produced a wonderfully mellow and loving dog who still brings smiles to our faces even now when we have been without him for four and a half years. (more…)