This has to be one of the hardest things ever to write, although I do it for a living. Our beloved Yorkie of only three years, Tommy, passed in his sleep in the early morning hours on January 22 2011. We’re not sure what caused his passing, but God decided the time was his to call him home.

The three years we had with Tommy were funny and fun. Whenever he’d want to play, he’d jump as high as he could to get a toy and couldn’t stop going across the kitchen floor because he’d run to fast. He was nicknamed “Nubtail” since he had a clipped tail since he came to us. My daughter paid $300 to adopt him from a family who mistreated him, and he came to us with matted, flea-infested fur, undernourished, scared, withdrawn and suspicious. He’d gotten to know us and in short time, would sleep with us on our bed or our ten son’s bed, would sleep with our daughter when she came to visit, and get up on the couch or chairs whenever he wanted to, as this picture shows.

This is my 2nd dog I’m mourning for, and tears are in my eyes as I type this. But our remaining two pets, Behr (an Aussie shep/collie mix) and Tesla (a black/gray striped tabby) will get their vet checks this week and after until God calls them home. I’m comforted that Tommy is welcomed in the circle with Mark’s Griff and Spritey, as well as my husband’s dog Beastie and my dog Toby of long ago. You will be missed, Tommy. And my family and I were so blessed and honored to get to know the love you had inside. Have fun with the other dogs in Heaven, and we’ll see you when we get there.

— Missye from Gettysburg, PA

Our beautiful Bella Girl was born July 17, 1995. I remember the day we picked her out of a litter, she was tiny, “but she didn’t know it” she would fit in the palm of my hand and weighed under a pound. She was a Chihuahua with black and white markings. She was feisty and cute. Everybody used to tell us she looked like a miniature wolf. We originally decided to get her as a companion to our beloved Cisco Kid, a male Chihuahua who passed away four years ago. My wife and I were newlyweds and they were our only children for the first ten years of our marriage.
There was an immediate bond between us. It was as if we had known each other for ever. She was so affectionate. And she was not satisfied to just receive love she had to give more and more love as if not to be out done. We know this is a once in a lifetime thing, she can never be replaced, She brought so much joy to this family over the past 15 years
There are so many things that I remember about our Bella. She was so smart. I could say are you ready to go “walking walking” and she would go over to where we kept the leash and wait for me to put it on her. If I said “Do ya wanna?” She would stand frozen just waiting for me to say something else. And then if I said “time to go bye bye” She would run to the front door.
At age 14 is when she started having health issues. She couldn’t sleep at night due to so much coughing. The vet said she had congestive heart failure. He gave us medication. It worked at first but she became immune to the medication and the vet had to increase the dose. She started having seizures. She would fall on her side and start screaming it was a terrible thing to see. That’s when me and my wife started talking about when is the right time for euthanasia. I started to second guess myself and wonder if I was being selfish and only thinking of myself by keeping her alive. It is such a painful decision. Finally on December 10 it was a terrible night for her. I was worried she was going to pass that night. Every breath was a struggle for her. Every ten minutes she would get up and start coughing. The next morning during her breakfast she had a seizure. And that’s when we decided that it has got to end now. We took our children to a baby sitter so we could be alone with our Bella just like the old days. We spent the rest of that morning taking her on a walk in our neighborhood. We made her a special meal. It was just like old times. She passed away December 11, 2010.
Our hearts ache for her, we can’t stop thinking of her, the only peace we get is knowing that the suffering is over, but, it’s still so hard to let her go, we miss her so much!

— Steven & Paulette from Ft. Worth, TX

Throughout our lives we encounter few joys that can come close to the loyalty and love of a pet. Terra was a red Akita born in 1994. Her markings emphasized her dignity and grace. She seemed to understand our every word. She loved the children and kept watch over every squabble and every tear. As gentle as she was, she stood guard when she sensed our fear and knew we could not stand on our own. She was a trooper through our life changes and bumpy roads. She loved to chew up socks and shoes as a puppy and was a master at tug of war. She loved to eat popsicles. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in January 2004. The cancer had spread and she had lost so much weight. She tolerated the pain for weeks while I feared life without her. It broke my heart to let her go. What happiness she brought us. I hold dear the precious memories of our time together to this day.
Mita was my second Akita we adopted in 2000. She was a bouncing happy Akita that followed Terra’s every move. She and I spent many nights sitting on the couch together grieving our loss. Mita was no small companion at 120 pounds. Her brindled beauty made her appear so fierce, so contrary to her exuberant joyful spirit. Mita worshiped my grand-daughter, she was so gentle. She was by pet burro; my dad called her Buttercup. Ironically given her size, she is the only companion I have ever had that loved a plastic squeaky toy and never chewed a hole in it. She loved to eat ice from my dad’s cooler and my grand-daughter’s tiny hands. I had hoped she would live forever. To my devastation, she too was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in October 2010. The vet said there were no good options given her age, a previous surgery on her back leg, arthritis, and size. I had been down this road before. My heart is so heavy; I miss her companionship and her happy spirit. Life will always be marked by this loss.
Thank you for sharing your tributes and thank you for letting me share mine. I was faced with grieving this loss alone and realized the companionship and joy they brought truly overshadows the pain of loss. I am honored to have been with them thru their journey. It has been only a month since I held my big brindled baby until she took her last breath; I miss her terribly each day. I now have a puppy that can never fill their place in my heart, but will have another piece of her very own.

— Patricia from Madison, AL

I have just finished reading your book ‘Rescuing Sprite’ and thoroughly enjoyed it. We have two English Cocker Spaniels (Nobby is blue roan coloured & Fabio is chocolate roan coloured) and they bring so much joy to us. We take them everywhere with us, they really are a massive part of the family. I used to think like you did about us having them as pets and after reading your book it makes me feel a lot better. I know that my two dogs have a very good life. They get fed well, have fresh water all day long, get lots of walks and certainly lots of love, cuddles, play and attention from all. My mum & dad have got pictures of all the grand children up on their wall and for a xmas present we had professional photos taken of the ‘the boys’. When we went round next they had moved the photos so that ‘the boys’ were in the centre place. I dread the day they leave this earth, but I know they have had a good life with all that we can give them without them telling us. I know they love us back as much as we love them and they love each other.

— John from Norwich, Norfolk

In 2001 I had the opportunity to purchase a German Shepherd from Germany.  I had just put down 2 in the past year.  I was heartbroken and really needed a new guy to help me through my pain.  After paying his purchase price and shipping fare off completely, August 21, 2001 I received the greatest dog I\’d ever owned.  Being a bartender and having to drive alone alot, Fento would always be with me.  I had to buy a new truck as he kept getting bigger and bigger and quickly outgrew my 1989 Firebird, in which I was required to take the T-Tops off as he grew so large!  So, I got a 4 door truck which comes in handy as I own 2 horses as well.  For 8 and a half glorious years we were inseparable, sharing every moment of our lives together.  Until cancer stole him from me at the young age of 8.  Having to put him down was the worst as he fought every second of the procedure, all while I sang to him \”You\’ll never walk alone\”.  I will never forget him and would give ANYTHING to hold him one more time.  I love you, my Toes, wait for your Momma.

— Nancy from Winnetka, CA

This picture is of Sandy. I found her when I was a cop in Brooklyn. Drug dealer threw her off a four story building. she was left for dead in a construction site next to the building she was thrown from. she suffer several lacerations and a broken front right leg. we have been together since 1997 and she is still going strong.

— Ray from Turnersville, NJ