My sister has gotten two dogs from the York County SPCA. The first one, Gus, was a spectacular yellow lab. He looked purebred, like an English Lab. Lanky. He was the worlds smartest dog. Not knowing anything about his history, we didn’t know how old he was, but we thought he was a young dog. He did eventually have a fatal health issue…he collapsed on the kitchen floor, and died on the way to the vet. The family was devastated. It took some time before my sister could bring herself to even think about looking for another dog. We went to the York County SPCa and looked at the dogs. It was a sad thing to see, all those needy animals, hoping that they would be “THE ONE.” I looked at my sister and I could see she was getting teary eyed. Not only for her lost dog Gus, but for all these dogs here. There are so many of them. They didn’t have another dog like Gus, so we left.

Some weeks later, it just so happened that I, being a cat person, was going to the SPCA with my cat Alice Marley to have her spayed. While I was there, I walked through the kennel to look at the latest group of inhabitants, to see if there was something that my sister might be interested to see. I knew she wanted another yellow lab. Well, I didn’t see another dog that looked like Gus, but I did see a possibility. There, in the last kennel, was a shaggy yellow lab/airdale mix. He had curly yellow hair all over his body, and his head had lots of long stray hairs, and he has a beard. In short, he looks like a bad taxidermy job gone terribly wrong. He stands up in the kennel, and presses himself against the cage. He has this hopeful look in his eyes, as if to say…Please…PLEEEEEse, take me. I went on about my way, went home, and told my sister about him. She didn’t seem to want to go look at him, and I kept mentioning it…describing what he looked like…etc., and well one day, my sister’s daughter Megan, called me, and says “You gotta come see our new dog” I said…”Let me guess, is it a yellow dog that looks like a bad taxidermy job?” She said…Yes, and so, I knew before I even went to see him, that it was the same dog.
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On September 10, 2007 we said goodbye Cody. He was our faithful friend and constant companion for nearly seventeen years. He was full of love, joy, and fun. He was protector of our home and keeper of our hearts. He would have gladly laid his life down for any one of us. He was a good dog.

It was the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. Everyone in my family was crushed. To try to help them get through it, I wrote this little “Goodbye Letter” from Cody to each of them. It seemed to help a little. If you ever have to go through the same thing and need to help your loved ones understand, maybe a letter like this could help you.

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This is a story about my Little Beau Jangles…a teeny , tiny toy poodle. We had 6 months before lost out mixed breed of 18 years and were NEVER getting another dog. Well, a friend of ours, a breeder called me and said she had had a litter and all were sold except the runt..she figured it was because he loved to play, AT NIGHT! Well, my husband worked on the railroad and was gone most nights, being on the road and I was alone and up until the wee hours, she figured we were a perfect match. Boy, was she ever right!! But, I was in Ohio, the dog was in Florida…so for my birthday, my husband bought me a dog and my father a plane ticket to get the dog for me! I can still remember crying the first time I laid eyes on him…he was so tiny and cute , he made my heart well up! Funny, I cried when I first saw him and cried when I last saw him…and I am crying as I am typing this.But , in between those times, he was nothing but a joy! He was indeed a “night person”, we got along great! On those long winter nights when I was just waiting from a call from my husband to say he had reached his destination safely , when I was a nervous wreck, Beau knew, and he did his best to amuse me and get the worry off of my mind, and that he did! For 16 years he amused and entertained me nightly!! I was so glad when he was finally 16, he could get a driver’s license..he always loved to steer when we drove! But it was not to be…one Sunday morning he just simply fell out of bed and landed on the floor…picked himself up and carried on, by the time my husband got home he couldn’t go to the door to greet him…it was a Sunday night…..where do you go….nowhere. He never cried or wimpered, he just wanted to be held, which I did. He wanted to get on the couch and I put him up and laid there with him, we both fell asleep, only 1 of us got up. My husband woke me the next morning telling me Beau was gone….gone in my arms. I was still holding him, and I KNOW that before he went he planted 1 more of those little kisses on my cheek, he was such a loving child! So what did I do after I freaked out…did I call the vet? NO, I called a local funeral home that does cremations and yes they would do a pet, bring him in. So , that is the story of Beau Jangles…and as I type this, Beau still sits next to me, on his special pillow in a beautiful tin. There is no way I could bury him or let anyone dispose of him, he was too dependent on me and he will stay with me until whenever. I will never let him be alone.
For those of you who need some comfort there is a beautiful website that deals with the loss of pets.
www.rainbowbridge.com
they have a most beautiful poem there, everyone who has lost a pet needs to read it, it is wonderful! Thank you , Mark ,for having this for us to share our stories, we have all been there, done that, or we wouldn’t be here now. You are a right on guy when it comes to politics, nasty as need be, but a PERSON,when it comes to sensitivity, thats all that counts. Thanks for letting me give my tribute to Beau…nobody else ever would have cared in a million years.

Nancy from Florida

Hi Mark…
I watched you on Hannity and Colmes the other night and your story brought back alot of the emotion I felt when we had to have our darling 8 yr old Gordon Setter, Kaycee, put down two years ago. She succumed to Kidney failure I’m sure brought on by tainted commercial dog food. One of the saddest things and most heart wrenching events one can go through is knowing the inevitable and making the hard decision to do what is best for your beloved dog. I still shudder when I relive that last moment with her. I still remember the empty feeling in the home and the sorrow that seems to never pass. I could sense in you the same long lasting pain and emotion that I and millions of other pet lovers have had to endure. We now have a wonderful Welsh Springer Spaniel, Molly, who has graced our home with her unending love and companionship. We love her with all our hearts, but it took us 6 months before we were ready to bring another dog into our world, but once a dog lover I guess you will always be a dog lover, and I have bocome completely aware how important it is to cherish every single day we are blessed to have them at our side. Being a Christian I know that someday we will be back together with our cherished friends, and I know that because if any being belongs in heaven these wonderful loving pets do. I feel your pain buddy, and I want to thank you for this wonderful site.

Dave from New Jersey

Hi Mark,

Thank you for sharing your poignant story about the love and loss of your beloved Sprite. Several times you said you nearly stopped writing it because you didn’t think people would read it. Well….I couldn’t put it down. Rescuing Sprite came from Amazon yesterday and today I read it from cover to cover. I fell in love with Sprite through your words and pictures, and sobbed as the inevitable took place. My heart breaks for you and your family as I’ve experienced your pain firsthand. When I was a child, we had two St. Bernards and a Newfoundland. Two of them had to be put to sleep very early (at two and three years respectively) and the other one lived to be 11 or 12. All three were my dearest companions and I ached for them for a very long time.

When my husband and I got married, I had been after him for a dog, and he kept turning me down year after year. They say that everything happens for a reason, and I suppose my husband’s constant denial was no different. On April 20, 2001, I suddenly lost my 42-year old brother Bill to a heart disease (cardiomyopathy). Neither he, nor we knew he was sick and we had to find out at autopsy what could take an otherwise healthy young man in his prime. The grief our entire family experienced was profound and I, already an overly-sensitive person as it is, was having great difficulty accepting it. I was distraught.
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Throughout grade school and high school I had a much loved English Setter, Rusty. When I graduated from high school and went to work in DC, my mother gave my dog to my sister (without my permission). At first it worked out, because my sister lived in Maryland and I stayed with her. When I moved into DC, though, my devoted companion went looking for me. We never found him, and after 50+ years I still cry over him. I’ve had many dogs and cats since, but I’ve never forgotten how special Rusty was. Two years ago, when my little tripod mutt, Sparkle, died at age 18, I decided I needed to find another English Setter. I’m a senior citizen, and don’t want my animals to outlive me because I worry about their fate (I have no kids to take them). For that reason, I decided to adopt an older dog, thinking it might be like making it up to Rusty for not being able to care for him as he grew old. I searched the net and found my beautiful English Setter, Bogie, at a distant shelter. His owner disposed of him because he didn’t get around very well any more and could no longer hunt. He didn’t even have a name; his owner simply called him “Boy.” (more…)