hello mark. first off, i am a veteran from the coast guard in the sixties, and i think i join all vets when i thank YOU for YOUR service to america.

i have bought your book for a friend who lost a dog many years ago and has not yet gotten over the loss. i will get one for myself soon.

when i lived with my parents, we always had dogs. my parents spared me the knowledge that they had died or been put down by telling me that they had run away or in the case of a dog which bit strangers, that they found a good place for him to be a guard dog.

my son gave me a dog, half lab, half mastiff. she was beautiful, but my work and commute left her alone over 12 hours a day and she needed freedom to run. she now lives with relatives who give her that freedom. i get to see pictures of her.

i bought a pet rat. it was not a joke or a whim, i was in a pet shop and they looked friendly, and they were. i put my hand in the cage and this one came to me. she was ordinary and grey and i knew she would not be bought as a pet, but as food for some snake. i took her home and have had many rats since then–all rescues, some from shelters hundreds of miles away. (more…)

While on holiday in Spain (from England) in 1976 we came across a stray living rough in bushes at the hotel. We befriended him and gave him the name PIP. As the holiday came to an end two weeks later we tried desparately to get someone to give him a home. Three months later my wife returned to Spain for the weekend to find him and bring him back to England and six months quaratine. This fulfilled a promise I made to our nie year old son,Phillip,Eventually I too wrote a book about Pip and published it in 1980. We enjoyed having him as part of our family for six years. I was absolutely shattered when he died and know your sincerety.

I was just an ordinary guy so it cost me money to publish my book but I learned a lot about the life of a dog.

Geoff from Arizona

Hi Mark,

I feel for you and your loss. Gizzy was a best friend to me for 15 years. He was always there when I needed him and always seemed to have a smile on his face to the very end. He and I were unseparable. I’ll never forget the day I had to make the dreadful decision that every animal lover has had to make or will make in their lives. Like you, I went through weeks of depression and the feeling of guilt that I was selfish and was playing God. I realize it was for his good but that still doesn’t make it any easier.

The feeling of walking in the house the first time and him not being there to greet me at the door was also something I will never forget. I just sat on the floor in the middle of living room and just cried. I vowed not to get another animal again because I did not want to go through this again.

I have since rescued two kittens from the vet hospital my girlfriend works for. They were unwanted and were going to be euthanized because of broken legs. One of them was kicked and the other was thrown out of a moving vehicle in a plastic bag. Today, you would not know the difference.

Gizmo will always hold a special place in my heart as Sprite will always hold a special place in yours and your families.

Here he is with his usual look on his face. Always ready for his next adventure with me.

John from Massachusetts

I had a dog named Spotty. She was a wonderful dog full of spunk. She did not know she was a little dog and would take on any animal that bothered her. She died of a stroke at age 17. She was in good health up until the day when she was very still and could not move. We had to put her down because she could not even swallow. I still tear up when I think of her she died thirty years ago.

Kathleen from New York

The Southern Command will be dark for awhile.

My best friend… sometimes my only friend… died suddenly this morning. Tripoli was my soul mate since he took over my life nine incredibly short years ago. Through the best of times and the worst of times he was there… until this morning.

The only person he ever bit was my ex-wife. If only I’d had the good sense to follow his lead.

In the dark times, late at night, bathed in the blue white light of the television, with a bottle of whiskey and my Glock, we defied them… and won.

The house is now terribly still, quiet… my guess is it will remain so.

At this point, I have but few words. Tripoli kept me from thinking about my own mortality… hyper-alter, hyper-active and hyper with his love… of food and, well, all things that moved.

He changed my life when he came, and now I really don’t know what I’ll do.

I’d appreciate it… if those who are so inclined would say a prayer for Tripoli for his journey.

I know we’ll meet again… because all Good Dogs go to Heaven.

I hope I can make the cut.

Gary from Texas

Pets are the greatest thing in the world. There is nothing like the unconditional love of a dog. I had a Blue Tick Coon Hound, Rocky, which I had to put down. It was sad but he was very sick. His buddy Bullwinkle died while I went on vacation the next year. But the greatest thing was being able to adopt my next two….Cheech and Chong. They are brothers.

Phil from Tennessee