I just finished your book, Rescuing Sprite. At times, I had to stop reading because my eyes were too welled up with tears. I literally couldn’t see the words. You see, in the last week of April of this year, we lost our Bentley.

In late Summer/early Fall of 1991, my ex-wife and I walked into what was basically a pet shop called Shake-A-Paw in Toms River, New Jersey. We would often stop in there to look over the puppies, even though we had no intentions of buying one. We already had a dog. A Bassett hound named Regis. But going into Shake-A-Paw every now and then and looking at the puppies was fun. Although it was bitter-sweet, knowing these puppies didn’t have homes, it was still nice to watch them for a few minutes. On this particular day, there was a British Bulldog in one of the cages. He was fast asleep, oblivious to the chaos going on around him. We had never seen a more adorable dog. We both knew immediately we were leaving with that dog. I picked him up out of his cage and he still didn’t wake up. I jokingly asked the attendant, “Is he dead?” He eventually woke up and displayed the greatest personality. We played with him for awhile and then I asked the attendant how much they wanted for him. “Two thousand dollars.” Wow! That was a lot of money to us at the time, but I think she could’ve said four thousand dollars and we would’ve taken him anyway.
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Tyler is in his favorite position for travel. My wife, sister-in-law and I were headed north from Virginia to New York and Connecticut. The picture was taken by my sister-in-law, Susan. We were on a mission to scatter my brother’s ashes in the Hudson River. We were obliged to find a location where we could be assured that none of his ashes would wash up in New Jersey. A rather strange request, but we were afraid of the consequences if we did not complete the task. Tyler travels well and provided good company and a needed diversion for the trip. I thought you would enjoy the photo.

Joe from VA

As for many people, 09/11/01 was a very dark day for me. I am a Paramedic/firefighter who was at the WTC when they collapsed. I lost two of my partners, who have now been added to a long list of my fellow first responders and friends, who have died in the line of duty.

The days following 9/11 were hard, but I was determined to be a part of making this country stronger, which included working with the Department of Homeland Security and working with several charity organizations. Among theses organizations was an animal rescue organization, which informed me that they had a dog that was considered to be unadoptable. I had previously worked with difficult dogs in the past and it was their hope that I might be able to help. The dog had been seriously abused by the former owners and had significant emotional issues. Even though I didn’t feel like I was strong enough, I just couldn’t see the dog suffer. The dog would pace and pant beyond the point of exhaustion, literally making herself sick. The first couple of months were truly challenging, trying to make the dog feel comfortable and secure again. I made a bed on the floor and would sleep there; little by little she made her way closer. She learned that she could trust again and that she could relax and feel protected. We have been together for 2 years now and she is my loyal friend, partner and companion.

The irony is, I thought I was rescuing her…the fact is, she did all the rescuing. God Bless you Mark, people like you make this world a better place.

Frank from PA

Four days short of that month, I had to have Dude put to sleep. He was at this time 15 years old and he was always the handsomest cat in the neighborhood.

My tears wouldn’t stop while I told him , before the sedation took hold, how much I loved him and would love him always and what a handsome cat he was. He wagged his tail at everything I said, though the wag was weak.

I miss him so much even though I still have five cats left. They are all special.

I have not yet recovered from this loss, and I do understand your feelings about Sprite – a beautiful dog.

I know I shall cry more tears when I read the book.

Thank you, Mark, for sharing your story, and God bless you.

Audrey from CA

We rescued a mixed breed dog from the pound in 1996. Princess was 6 months old and so scared when we encountered her at the pound. My children were very young. She has never been that healthy. At 8 years old she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease which prevented her blood from clotting. Thankfully under amazing odds she beat this disease. The past year she has been battling some stomach ailments which is made a little worse by her liver that is aging. We just went through a bad scare with her in early November. On this day that I am writing this she is doing much better. She has been such a wonderful dog and everyone that enters our home just loves her. I am dreading the day that we all dread as dog owners, but am thankful to have her around for another holiday season.

Judy from NJ

My Trina was a toy fox terrier, 9 years old. At the end of July, 2007 she was having trouble with her knee so we went to the vet and got some arthritis medication. She also had her yearly work done along with a mini panel of bloodwork and everything was normal.

On Friday, August 24 when I got home from work she was obviously not feeling well….she seemed fine on Thursday. She was standing and staring at the wall. She wouldn’t relax in my lap, and wouldn’t lick my hand. When I put her down she went to the window and barked at my daughter’s friend who was coming up the sidewalk. Her bark was very hoarse. She then went to her water dish and had a drink and collapsed. So, I scooped her up, grabbed one of my older daughters (I have 4) and we took her to the emergency vet in town.
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