My wife and I just ordered your signed book and I wanted to share the story of my first dog. When I was one, my family moved back to the homestead where my father was born. When I was old enough to start wandering around the farm my dad got a mongrel collie pup and named him Pal. Daddy knew he would be busy with farming duties and couldn’t watch me every moment. Daddy would tie a string to my wrist and the other end to Pal so where I went or he went we were togeather. Any time my family needed to find me they would call Pal and and then follow him to where ever I was. One day I was gone for a long time and they got worried and called for me and Pal, I didn’t show up, so the told him to go find Donnie. They followed him down to the pasture where I had gotten stuck in a prairie dog hole and had cried myself to sleep. My dad picked me up and cleaned the tears and dirt off my face and carried me home.
Pal lived to be 15 before he couldn’t get up any more and daddy took him to be put to sleep. We were devasted. My brother was in the army at the time, and when we called him, he went to be by himself and cried like a baby. Our pets are our family.

We are looking forward to reading your book. Thank you,
Don & Susan from TX

My beloved Rosie passed away on March 9 of this year. She had developed Sudden Rage Syndrome, a rare disorder that causes dogs to attack people and other pets. She was eleven years old. I had her since she was six months. I rescued her from a whippet breeder who was going to destroy her because she was not full blooded. She was my best friend. She welcomed me everyday when I got home from work by jumping in the air and barking up a storm. She was my shadow who followed me everywhere. She knew when I was sad and would place her head in my lap and look up at me with her big brown eyes. She must have been starved as a puppy because she was always stealing food from the counter when I wasnt looking. The hardest decision I ever had to make was having her put to sleep so she couldnt hurt others or herself. Not until I read Resucing Sprite have I felt anyone could possibly understand my loss. I will keep this book close to my heart and pass it on to others who have had to endure the loss of their best friend. Thank you so much for writing this book and sharing your loss so others would know they are not alone. God Bless you and your family and may Pepsi and Griffin have long and healthy lifes.

Margaret from Ohio

I was listening to the Sean Hannity Show a couple weeks ago when Mark was on and shared about te book he wrote;”Rescueing Sprite”. I knew that I had to read it because I too lost a very precious dog 6 years ago. When I read it I could relate 100% to what he was saying. My Ginger was more than my little girl, she was also my best friend. When we had her put to sleep I know in my heart that it was the best thing for her but like Mark, I questioned myself afterward. I felt like I could have done something different then she would have lived. But there was nothing more that I could have done that I did not already do, the same thing Mark did, stay close to her and love her, keep her comfortable as possible. The tough part though is that Ginger had doggie alzheimers and I do not think that she remembered me because when I hugged her she did not return my hugs, she just layed there stareing straght ahead. But I knew her. I loved her with my whole being and will never forget her

Cheryl from PA

I just discovered your program about a month ago and since then I’ve downloaded most of the programs on your website and have greatly enjoyed them. I just wanted to share briefly about two of the losses I’ve experienced in my life. When my wife and I were married over 43 years ago we got a little Poodle puppy who quickly became the center of our home. He was a joy to be around, so full of energy and life. He was the kind of dog, however, who when he got outside the house he was very, very difficult to catch. He wanted to run everywhere and see all that he could see. Well, one day we were out for a drive and decided to stop at a soft-serve icecream place and get a cone. It was warm and we had Monty, our Poodle, with us and had the windows down about 4 inches. Somehow Monty squeezed through the window and got loose. He ran directly into the road and was struck before my eyes by a passing truck and killed instantly. Both my wife and I had never experience such pain and grief. We decided that same day to get another Poodle, Lindy, who after some time began to fill the void Monty’s death left but we never forgot him.

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Mark, Just finished Rescuing Sprite , and it brought back the same feelings I had 2 years ago when I had to put our precious Rusty down. She was 13 years old. 14 years ago I came home one day. My son,Hunter met me at the door,and said he had figured out why dogs were so happy to see you when you got home. I asked what he thought,and he said ” Well you know how 1 year for a dog is like 7 of ours, so when you’ve been gone all day, it’s like you’ve been gone for a week! I told him it was the most profound thing I’d ever heard! God bless you and your family

Bubba from AR

My 6 y/o cat Caitlyn was admitted to hospital yesterday (Mon – 11/19) and has been diagnosed with Pancreatitis. I know little about this affliction on the feline side and since Caitlyn is my very first pet of any kind, I am beside myself with worry, exasperated by lack of sleep. Caitlyn won’t eat/drink and is in horrible pain.

I’ve been blessed because Caitlyn has been so wonderfully healthy and active consistently since she came home for the first time as a kitten that this quick on-set of illness has leveled me. She won’t be home for Thanksgiving and I guess this post is just an “emotio-vent” rambling for me.

I am praying she will pull through this, she is very tough. Another constant reminder that there “ain’t no time to hate” or fight with our loved-ones. Let the posts of the Dog Corner represent a diary of feelings, the Good, the Bad and the…Pancreatic. Rejoice and give thanks for what we have, every day, because nothing lasts.

Our pets are a blessing to us, a gift from above and the closest thing to a child I will ever have. I could never understand the human/pet bond (outside the obvious) before now. Caitlyn was just someone else I took for granted. I know I am not ready to read Rescuing Sprite yet as it may just cause a breakdown but it does feel good to know I am not alone and the book is there for me when I am ready.

Tom in NJ