Mark, I just received my Amazon order for 3 copies of your book. Ultimately, they will be gifts to the real dog lovers in my family, my son, my daughter, and a sister. But first, I really look forward to reading one myself. Here’s my story. We had a couple dogs before I was old enough to remember, but the first dog I remember was Liz. A cocker spaniel/poodle (a desgner dog before they were fashionable).

Liz was my best buddy as a youngster and I remember her living a long life until she was at least 13/14 and I was 16 or 17. Mostly blind and deaf at the end, I remember the day she just did not want to get up anymore. With instruction from my mother, I carried here to the car, and rode with her to the vet. I carried her in, layed her on the table, and we said goodbye. I can still see her eyes today. Not long before Liz passed, my family got Heidi, the puppy St. Bernard. She grew very large, had bad hips in the older years, and lasted until she was at least 14 or 15. To this day I remember getting the call from my Mom that Heidi just didn’t want to get up anymore, I came home, lifted her into the car, and took her to the vet. I carried her into the office, laid her on the table, and said goodbye.
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I  wrote to you a few days ago and told you about our dog “Snuggles”. I too had Snuggles cremated but his ashes are sitting on my dresser with his picture. I just finished reading your book-it was a very moving book. It made me laugh and it made me cry. My Snuggles also took the ham off the table one Easter-I thought for sure he was going to get sick-we practically had our hand down his throat to get it out of his mouth.

In January when I took him for his yearly checkup that is when the vet said his kidneys were starting to shut down so she changed his diet. Between him not adjusting to food, getting sick on and off and the two operations on his mouth for the tumors he was to the vet 8 times in 10 months. I keep asking myself if there was something else I could of done for him and if changing the food because of the kidneys was the start of all this. I keep second guessing myself also.

I know deep down he loved us very much and we loved him very much-he was spoiled alot by all of us. He had his bath every 5 weeks and he went everywhere with us. He was a big part of our family and we will miss him dearly. They say it gets easier but I don’t think so-just have to keep thinking of the good times we had with him and how much company he was. Those big eyes looking up at you when you are leaving the house; those big eyes looking up at you when you come back home. He used to hear the car pull in the driveway and he would be in the window looking out-he would lay his chin on the window sill and just stare out at us and then run to the door. He loved to be with you-if you left the room lately he would bark because he didn’t know where you went. Maybe he knew something wasn’t right.

I know I could just go on and on but I am glad you wrote the book and I hope everyone gets a chance to read it-it is well worth reading. I love your dog corner-reading other listeners stories is helping me to get through this time.

Thank you Mark,
Jackie from NJ

I just finished reading Rescuing Sprite. I loved the book and could so relate! I must have gone through ½ a box of tissues.

I grew up with dogs but due to condo living am now a cat owner. Our first cat, Ninja, we had to have put to sleep after 10 years due to a tumor. It was so difficult to do and we still have pictures of her around the house.

Through the last several years we acquired, through rescue and death, 3 cats. A year ago last October, Buster, our youngest, got out and disappeared. We looked and looked for him. We knew he wouldn’t have been taken, as he was too scared of strangers. Eventually we went to the ASPCA where they have lists of found animals. Listed was a black male DOA on the day he went missing near our home.

It was the most devastating thing to not know how he died or why he was where he was. Not only was he the youngest of our cats, he was the funniest with the most character! He made us laugh out loud daily and often many times a day. There has been a void in our home since that day, even though we have the other two cats. It’s been over a year now and the pain has lessened, but I can still get choked up looking at his picture and wishing he would come tearing down the hallway into our bedroom!

Your book depicted the pain and devastation we felt losing Ninja and Buster. I appreciate you sharing your experience and I will treasure the book. Thanks for writing it!

Sincerely,
Karen from CA

Hi, Mark. It’s your old traffic reporter a few years back. It was great to see you & Rich at the Freedom Concert this year. Your book couldn’t have come at a better time for me as I just had to put my Wolfie down after battling cancer. This was only about 3 weeks ago, so it’s still quite fresh and I’m still devestated over it. Not having children yet, he was my child. Everyone who met him always fell in love with him. He was a wonderful companion. It’s great to have you apart of the Sirius family now & Andrew Wilkow lent his copy of your book to me. I’m sure it will bring tears to my eyes, but so far you are helping me to remember great times with Wolfie & to keep him alive in my heart. 

 Thank you for all you do. Kate from NJ

I have Crohn’s disease and from time to time I get some very serious flare ups. The night before last, my husband had to run out to Home Depot to pick up some parts for work. I stayed behind with the thoughts of finishing the dishes and cleaning up. I went to sit down in our family room for a few minutes to do some spiritual reading, and WHAM, I was hit with pain in my abdomen like you could not believe. It put me out of the chair and onto the floor. I was literally feeling like someone was taking a knife and slicing my stomach open.
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My son, at the time was 10 and brought me home this puppy, I had told him I wanted only a Chihuahua to breed with my other one but she was mixed Chihuahua and Pekingese. Her name was Bongers. We ended up keeping her because my son said that when he saw her she was left all alone in the corner of the box and the mother wouldn’t let her feed.
She was a loving little thing, then one day I got so horrified when I came home from work and seen her on the floor her body stiff as could be and her one poor up in the air. I realized then she had epilepsy. She was about 1 year old then. She was such an affectionate little dog when you were sick she would come by you and stay and lick you face or hand and just lay beside you. When you would be sad and cry she would do the same thing as if she knew you were sad or in pain. It was just so said to see her go threw those caesuras. She would only come to me when she had them because she knew I would hold her tight so her back wouldn’t bend so and she look at me while her little poor would go up in the air. I took her to the Vet to see what could be done for her and he said that there is medication for her it might lessen the pain some but sooner or later she would die. We had her till her 12th year. She went through a lot with me and was always by my side to make me feel good.

Then one day I came home from work and there she was just sitting in the middle of the living room as if she was trying to tell me Mommy I waited for you to come home to say good-bye. I new the time has come and it wasn’t going to be an easy one. She couldn’t walk at all so I put her in my arms and I told my sons that I wasn’t going to take her to the vet to let her die there she was staying here right by me and so she did. I cried and cried as she lay there stiff with her poor never going down (just as the doctor said she would die). She looked up at me one last time and it looked at though she said “don’t cry Mommy I wont be in anymore pain please don’t cry I love you and she took one last breath and that was it. I said I could never love another dog like her and now I have this big lab mixed Great Dane and still I see my Bongers and think about her all the time. As I am telling you this story about my little girl I am crying. Its 8 years now and I still love her so and miss her. There is so much more to this story but like you I would have to write a book. God Bless you Mark.

Margaret  from PA