Hey Mark!

To say that big things come in small packages is an understatement. This little guy’s name is Ressy. He weighs in at a very muscular 8 lbs. He was a present for my now fiancee` and has helped cement the groundwork for a life of happiness, love, and family.

Ressy enjoys long days of fetch, crusing in the car, and wrestling with our cat Chetto. He can sit, lay, give high five, and wag his little tail with the best of them…..Plus he is a truly a patriotic pup!

Keep up the good work!

Chris from Maryland

In August 2000 we bought a Jack Russell Terrier named Opie for my 11 year old son. As the years went slowly by, Opie started bonding more with me. Afterall, I am the one that walked him, took him for rides as well as fed him. At the same time, my father’s health started to diminish as well as my parent’s divorced after 48 years. My escape from dealing with all my problems was to walk Opie. Just the getting out & seeing his excitement took my mind off of all the chaos in my life. My parents divorce was finalized in September 2003 & my dad passed away on February 15, 2004. All through this, stood my loyal “Four Legged Wonder” or as I called him “O The Baby.” Little did I know that the storm was just brewing. On March 15, 2006, Opie was diagnosed with Lymphoma. I threw myself into finding out everything possible. I was in total shock at first. I have felt helpless several times in my life & I did not like it at all. Opie responded very well to treatments as well as medicine. He went through 23 of the 24 treatments of the Auburn University protocol. I have never fought so much in my life to defeat such an enemy. My dad passed away due to cancer but it was his choice not to do anything about it. With Opie, I felt totatlly responsible for making the best decisions. Opie did not suffer any until March 2, 2007. It was the toughest decision that I have ever had to make. Here my 6 3/4 year old Jack Russell was not even able to walk or go to the bathroom. If someone ever wants to know what love is, it can be defined by letting go of something that you can not allow to suffer. Even as I am typing this, I am crying because I miss him so much. I have a wonderful husband & two great kids 22 & 18. When we brought Opie home, my daughter was fast becoming an independent teenager with my son not far behind. My kids were pulling away & this little dog was coming toward me. He slowly became My Baby. My husband told me numerous times that Opie lived better than most humans & all dogs. Opie did not know that he was not a human being. I have began several time to sit down & write because I want everyone to know how this little dog helped me through so much in my life. I want to honor him. He came into my life & helped me make it though so many storms. I have been told that for everything there is a purpose & reason. Could it be that was Opie’s purpose? Whatever the reason, I am so thankful that we had a spectatucular 6 plus years. Thank you so much for listening.

Leslie from Alabama

God gave us ROBBIE, a full-sized dachshund bred from a miniature dad and a full-sized Dachshund with a Lab crossed mom just before Xmas 1995 the day after he severely bit an UPS driver who daily called on my son’s home business. If we had been a day or two either way we would not have had Robbie for the NEXT TWELVE YEARS, living in our bedroom on his own sofa chair bed. Robbie died just 2 weeks ago , a week before his 16th birthday. He did not suffer, but had an enlarged heart and fluid on both lungs that affected his breathing for just a few days. He ran with me on his daily walk the day before I took him to the vet for the last time. I picked him up after working alone without his presence and took him to church for the prayer meeting that he always loved. He was fine that day and it was not until the Sunday night that we knew he was preparing to leave us. Robbie ate like a vacuum cleaner, and refused his breakfast for the last 2 days. He woke us up at 3 am and I was with him from 4 am Monday 22nd. Oct,2007 until I had to go up to the bathroom at 6:40. When I came back I could not find Robbie on the floor where he had been all night, so I took my flashlight and went back outside and saw Robbie on the back porch shivering in the cold, having climbed 5 steps, and I picked him up and carried down to his bed, covered him up with his blanket and turned on the fire. At 7:15 am just 1/2 hr later, he looked up at us, turned his head to lay down on the pillow and stopped fighting. I put my ear to his chest and heard his heart beat for about another minute before it stopped. We have lost a very loving, dear family friend. (more…)

A sad story…it’s about our cat, not a dog, but it’s a sad day here for us today. We had to make “that decision,” and we just weren’t prepared for it.

We had just listened to all the stories and shows on Monday featuring Mark’s story about his dog and promptly ordered three of his “Rescuing Sprite” books for ourselves and our two daughters’ families since we are all dog lovers.

Well, little did we realize that we would face this agonizing decision within two days about having the vet euthanize our sweet little kitty this morning.

Kitty showed up in our backyard about 13-14 years ago and we took him in. He has been the sweetest little kitty…always “talking” with me as he and I would “converse” in meows. He was a wonderful hunter and lived outside since I am terribly allergic to cats. But we always took great care of him,
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Mark, I currently have a dog & a cat. I acquired my new cat after one who was 19 passed away! It was just awful! Early one morn she started yelping in pain & I got an appointment @an emergency vet. They said she had a blood clot & I needed to let her go. I held her & thanked her for all the years she’d been so excellent to mje & bawling, I said goodbye.

When my boxer was about 12 & barely able to get up anymore, we HAD to put him down. My husband & I had just separated & I kept putting it off. We actually spent his last night together so we could BOTH take him in the morn. What was awful was that WHOLE WEEK, it was the LAST time we’ll walk here, the LAST night, the LAST…… When we got there the vet asked if we wanted to stay after the shot was administered & we did. I could barely get up off the floor. I got it together to walk out thru the vet office & then collapsed against my car. THANK GOD my ex was w/me!!

I TRULY beleieve it’s better to have something happen last minute than HAVE TO PLAN IT!!!!!! I TOTALLY SYMPATHIZE w/ALL you’ve been thru & look forward to reading your book! God bless you!,
A Loyal Listener,’
Jody from Maryland

Hello Mark. I moved from California in Dec 2005 and happened upon your radio show on WABC, 770AM, and try to listen any time I can. I am very pleased that your opinion is publicized for many to hear. I was very moved when you talked about Sprite and your feelings of loss. I had an Alaskan Malamute named ‘Sasha’ when I lived in CA and she had the coloring and markings of a grey wolf. She was very gentle and friendly although her 110 pound size belied that. People use to cross the street when I walked her sometimes. I lost her to cancer and it broke my heart. I was useless at work for two weeks. I then decided that I was not going through that again, no more dogs. That was not the first time for me. About a year before I moved, around November 2004 through a series of events I bought a 13 pound white apricot poodle mix named ‘Teddy” from a rescue shelter. Little dog huge heart. I am humbled by his love and affection. I made him a pact: let me adopt you and you will never have to worry about anything, I will take very good care of you. He had been running the streets with a bigger dog near El Camino College in Torrance: lucky for me the big dog got away and little ‘Teddy’ didn’t. It may sound corny, but I thank the Great Spirit, the Creator, every night for loaning me little Teddy as I know he wants him back at some time, can’t blame him. DOGS RULE. Thank you for your radio show,
William from New York