Because of my work schedule i never got a dog, but i wanted a companion real bad, one of my friends were moving so they had asked me if i could take there ferret. When i first meet her i fell in love all she ever wanted was to be played with and held. I would come home she would follow me everywhere I went. Then when I went to bed she would climb up and lay right next to me, and curl up in my arm. Well after a few years she came down with adrenal disease of which there is no real cure, i had two operations on her to try to remove the tumor though the vet said it would only prolong the inevitable. But i had to try she was all that i had, perhaps it was selfish of me but i didn’t want to see her go. I had heard you on the radio on Friday night talking about sprite and how you had to make that decision to put her down; I didn’t have the strength to do it.

One day i woke up and she looked terrible as she tried to come to me to get her favorite treat”cheerioes” I rushed her to the vet they gave her some medicine it seemed to help she was looking better, they gave me the option on whether to leave her there over night, or take her home. I was to upset to leave her there I wanted her to be in familiar settings in her time of need. Well that night I slept on the floor with her since ” the vet didn’t want her to over exert herself “ I curled up on the floor placed my arm around her and went to sleep when I woke up she had passed away in the same position we went to sleep in. It was one of the worst experiences in my life, though to this day I am so thankful I brought her home to be with me on her last day on this earth.

I feel for you Mark and understand how devastating something like can be. I hope I have the strength to do the right thing when it comes time to make that decision. Though I might have been selfish in wanting to keep her around, in the end I think I did the right thing by her.

I don’t have a scanner to show people what she looked like but here are my two new loves squirrely and tweek.

Joel from NY

This is my wife and my baby. She is the sister of two other dobermans, who are the sweetest dogs. Yes it’s the dog’s birthday and yes we did get her a birthday icecream cake :) We also love your show.

Lonny from ON

Mark, My wife and I both love dogs. Our “Bo” just loves my wife Tina. Since her second bout with Cancer Bo has provided such comfort even more than I can.

Love, Jim from MI

What wonderful, heartfelt tributes to the animal members of our families…. I just lost my buddy, a Lab/Border Collie mix who earned his unusual name, The Bad Puppy, as a small pup (it was the only name he would “answer” to) but grew up to become a loyal loving extremely intelligent companion. This dog was with me for some very significant times in my life, and just passed last Friday at the age of almost 3, due to illness. Obviously it’s still a fresh hurt, and I miss my friend terribly. The Bad Puppy’s gone where the good doggies go, free to roam and play in the fields of heaven, and climb all the trees he wants (yes, The Bad Puppy really did climb trees). Bad Puppy, good dog good friend, we love you and miss you, thanks for always being such a good boy

Casey from AL

My first rescue dog, Kaiyu, came with the first house I bought. It was her home, and the prior owner could not keep her as she was going to a climate not suitable for a husky mix. In fact, the reason she selected us to buy her house, over the numerous others that wanted it at a higher price than we could pay, was that we were the only ones willing to take care of her beloved dog. We thought it was a good idea, we had a young dog that really needed a playmate to burn off some energy.

In time, Kaiyu accepted us into her home, and stopped looking for her prior owner. At the time we moved in Kaiyu was eight years old, so we did not expect she would be with us for more than 3 to 5 years. Well almost eight years later, Kaiyu showed the first signs of getting old. She became deaf. Not really a problem, as long as she knew you were around. If you surprised her, she could be dangerous, a first for a dog that was nothing but loving. We figured it was due to her loss of hearing, and fear had now entered into her life because she did not understand what had happened to her.

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Mark – I am not going to take up time and space sharing my personal stories of joy and anguish, but instead I just want to thank you for sharing yours. I’ve been listening to you tonight, and that alone has brought me to tears. When I was three years old my parents took me to a zoo in Kansas City. There, while holding me up at a fence to pet a deer, they panicked and then endured, and I reveled in, the deer swallowing my little arm up to the shoulder. They proceeded to pull me out, I know, because here I am. I loved that deer, and was entirely calm through it all. That is my earliest memory, and the beginning of a life spent in love and communion with animals. I weep with you for Sprite, and rejoice with you for Sprite. When I can bear it I will read your wonderful tribute to him, which arrived from Amazon just a couple of days ago. God bless you, Mark, and thank you so much. You are a gift.
Anne from VA