Mark, thanks for writing Rescuing Sprite. I cant wait to read it. We lost our dog Holly of 15 yrs on Halloween, She has been gone for almost 2 weeks and I still look for her when I come home from work.
She came to us when our family really need some joy and man she brought just that.
She was a key member of our family and will be missed. I cant afford the book at this moment ..but hope to soon. I have told all of my family about it so maybe I will get it for a xmas gift. Again thanks Mark for all of your words..its has really help me get through this time.

Dan from TX

My dog Buck, a black lab died guarding our house. We had him for 10 very good years.
I woke up and found him facing our house.. I can not tell you how hard it was to tell my children. He was loyal to the end.
Buck died in 2001 and we have never had a dog since. We lost 2 cats since then and that was hard as well.

Kathy from TX

Dear Mark,
I’ve been listening to you since you were picked up by ABC in NY. I really enjoy your show because of your caustic wit and intolerance for BS and spin from liberal callers and liberal politicians.
Like your family, we also are a two-dog family. We recently found out that our older dog “AJ’ has canine lymphoma and will probably not be with us in a few months. We have opted out of expensive treatments because we just don’t have the extra means to attempt to prolong his life. AJ is 11 years old and is a lovable fuzz-ball. He’s a Wheaton mixed breed and weighs in at about 60 lbs. when he’s healthy. This dog still thinks he’s a 10-pound puppy who can sit in your lap. He’s extremely affectionate and a tremendous watch dog. Our younger dog Nikki is a black border collie-chow mix. Both dogs came from North Shore Animal League in Port Washington. We like the ideal of “dog rescue”.
Given that AJ’s time is limited on this earth, we decided to look for another puppy so that Nikki will have a companion to help relieve her grief.

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We are on our 3rd dog. We love everyone that we have had. Bunkey was our first. A cockapoo. A natural protector. He was good natured and as sweet as could be. We taught him to say his prayers. He would jump up on a chair and put his paws over the back of the chair and bow his head. We had him for 15 years and had to put him to sleep. It tore us apart.
OUr second was Snickers, a schnoodle. We had him for 14 years. He followed us everywhere we went and literally shared his affection for each of us fairly. We had to put him to sleep because he got diabetes. It was a horrible decision to make. We don’t have children so each dog is our child. We were with him to the very end and we still cry each time we think of him. Our vet sent us a poem called the Rainbow Bridge, if you have never heard of it I will
send it too you. We now have Mickey, the dog from Hell!. He is a total different personality of the other two. He is 2 yrs old and just a hoot!.
God Bless our Animals because I don’t know what we would do without them.

Thanks
Sandy from MI

Mark, I wanted to share this poem that was given to me by my Veternarian, Dr. Black

Ode to My Friend

Close your eyes now, my longtime friend, and let this time of suff3ering come to a peaceful end. We’ll walk together soon, I’m sure, as winter turns to spring, when snow gives way to budding leaves and birds begin to sing, the gentle breeze shall call your name along the water’s edge. For what we shared and what you meant shall never be forgotten. Your friendship spans the years behind your memory ahead. you’ll always be there next to me, companion and good friend.
Tony d’ Agnese

Bob from CA

We have two dogs who both became sick last year during the recall of dogfood, First our Dalmation, Bailey, had swelling in her neck and running a fever.

After many trips to the vet and tests and antibiotics, she seemed to improve. This was October of last year. Then in December, our yellow lab, Houdini, started to lose weight for no apparent reason. We tried different foods and he then seemed to improve. Now its February and the Dalmation starts to lose weight, won’t eat, decreased mobility, fever, increased thirst, she is very ill. Back to the Vet again. After many tests, bloodwork, x-rays,ultrasound, the Vet tells us she has cancer. We weren’t told what kind, where it is but that the dogfood was not responsible. In our hearts, we are not convinced. The only option offered to us was to put the dog down.

We could not do it. That was April, 07. We took her home. We hand fed her. She would only drink water if it was in my hand, we fed her only people food. We tried our best. She is still alive. Very thin. She eats a combination of dog and people food but can’t seem to gain weight. We don’t have the funds to see a specialist right now,but we hope to in the future. She is still a very sick dog but her personality came back almost completely. She regained alot of her mobility and she barks at my husband if she wants him to feed her. I haven’t seen any of the other stories, so I’m sorry if this is out of line. I thought someone may have a suggestion for us . I have a daughter, but this dog is daddy’s little girl. She was hit by a car at the age of 4, and couldn’t walk for a couple of months. My husband carried her outside every time she had to go out. Since then, she’s daddy’s girl. The way she looks at him is unbelievable. And she talks to us when she wants something. Very sorry to go on like this. Maybe if people could just keep this little dog in their prayers it would help. Thank you for this opportunity. Sorry ,I’m not a very good writer.

Thanks again.

Anita from NJ