In 1985, just 2 weeks after we lost or previous companio, my sister found a littlt whit puppy in the middle of a very busy street. She rescued the little thing and called my wife, Madeline, to see if we wanted to adopt her. We were still saddened over the loss of Bitsy and didn’t think we were ready for another dog yet but we went over to see her just to make my sister happy. As soon as Madeline picked up the puppy, it was all over. We had a new mwmber of the household. As she grew from a tiny pup to a beautiful Coker – Spitz mix, we realized how lucky we were to adopt her, Madeline named her Buffy because of he golden white coat.
We were soon astonished at how spart she was and how easily she learned new things. She became Madeline’s daily companion, following her around or just sitting beside her on the sofa.
In 1991, Madeline suffered a major heart attack. I called the paramedics who took her to the hospital where she passed soon after.
Buffy saw all this happening and saw when they carried Madeline out the door on a stretcher. For the next three months Buffy sat looking out the front window, waiting for her mistress to return. I was worried about her but she still ate her dinner and went out when she needed so I knew that with time she would get back to normal. She would still wander theough the house occassionally as if searching for something.
Over time, Buffy slowly transferred her alliegence to me and could sense when I was particularly sad and lonely. She helped me through some very trying times and I sometimes think that if it weren’t for her, I may not have made it myself.

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I am a police officer who deals with death regularly but I found it was very different when it was our family pet. We had a cat names Louis that was only 6 years old when he began having trouble breathing. He was a beautiful Manx with a Little stubby tail and Persian long fur. He was always looking for someone to pet him or to lay with. He didn’t bite or scratch he was always pleasant. I took him to the vet and had all kinds of test ran to only find he had cancer that was in his sinuses and there was nothing that could be done. The vet said he could go home and live another month or so. I could not leave him in pain and had to make the decision to let him to go sleep. I could not stay in the room when it was done but my wife did. I stayed in the waiting room with my daughter who was also very distraught. After it was done I had Louis cremated and placed in a very nice wooden box. To this day he sits on our mantel and we think about him all the time and talk about how Nice a cat he was.

Danny from TX

Mark, Read your book last evening and was so moved. My pillow was wet with tears, you made me feel as though I knew Sprite too. I will pray for Sprite’s soul every night, as we both know, dogs DO have souls and, eventually we will be united with them. They will there waiting for us. You are truly a remarkable individual. My brother just lost his beloved Millie and the pain just hasn’t gone away, when he’s ready, I have a copy of your book ready for him. God bless you!

Angela from NJ

I want to share my story of Max, a whippet mix, who came into my life 14 years ago. I lost him on August 19, 2007.

Max was my shadow. Wherever I was, he was. He was so patient and kind, allowing one of the other dogs at home to nibble at his whiskers until there were just stubs left. His eyes were always full of life. If eyes could smile, Max’s were always beaming. His way of saying hello was to jump up and down as high as he could go with his tongue hanging out and a huge smile on his little face. It was a hilarious sight.

He never quite got the hang of playing fetch, but he loved pretending to chase the balls around anyway. He loved to chase birds out of the yard, push his food dish all over the house with his nose, and hide my socks. After his dinner every night, he would come and jump on my lap and lay there while I rubbed his full belly. That was the special time we shared each day.

In August, Max started going downhill. He was 14 by then, and over the past year, he had really slowed down. The last weekend of Max’s life, he stopped eating and could no longer struggle up to walk on his own. When I woke up in the middle of the night to find that he had fallen off the bed and could not move from where he landed, I knew it was his time to move on from this life.
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Queenie The wonder dog
I have had many dogs in my life and each and everyone of them were a gift and a true blessing. My first do was Queenie, she was a black Lab mix. She came into our lives from a family member. When my family got her my brother and I were young kids. When we got Queenie she had a broken leg. She was stepped on by a family member as a puppy. Well Queenie’s injuries didn’t end there. If there ever was a Wonder Dog it was her. After her broken leg this little girl was hit by a truck, mauled by a Doberman and once she got out on us and had a one night stand. Well she came home pregnant and what a wonderful experience that was. My brother and I being in elementary school thought it was so cool that our dog was going to have puppies. My Dad at the time was working late so when it came time for the birth it was all up to Mom. She rushed Queenie to the vet and the pups couldn’t wait. Queenie was giving birth in the car. I don’t recall what happened next because I was home with a neighbor watching me but I remember Mom coming back home with Queenie. My Mom put queenie in a large cardboard box and she gave birth to the rest of the pups. Sad to say one was born breech and my Mom had to help Queenie along with that one. My Mom was always a trooper. No blood and guts ever got to her. Hell she raised two boy and we spilled enough of it. Seeing that pup be born dead was such a sorry thing. My neighbor who was a dog breeder said to get it away from Queenie ASAP.

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I want to share a few thoughts about the life of my close friend, Snowball the Dog. No, she was more than just a friend; she was a member of the family. I met Snowball nine years ago when I was picking up our Cocker Spaniel at the vet. The vet had two white German shepherd and Russian wolfhound puppies that were found on the road; they were two white balls of fur that had not been adopted and were on the way to the pound. They asked me if I wanted to adopt them, I was very hesitant until Snowball walked to me and we instantly became friends. The family fell in love with her and she stayed with us as we later moved from Chicago, IL, Cincinnati, OH, and Fort Worth, TX.

Snowball was a blessing from God. She gave us so much love and required very little in return (sometime snackers). I believe that she is a great example of God’s love in the world. She was a great protector, loving and faithful friend. I never had to worry about my family when Snowball was home. She was a large dog, 90 pounds with a big chest and a strong bark. Repair men, UPS delivers, solicitors knew who was in charge when they came to the house. She loved to go to the park for a walk and chase squirrels. When it was time, she would pick up her leash and say it’s time to go.
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