One day a friend came to my house. When he was leaving there was a dog sitting on the at the top of the stairs. My friend said he had petted the dog when he had arrived. Well I chased it away. The next morning, there was the dog sitting on the top step. I was leaving and again I chased it away. On my return at the end of the day, there she was sitting on the top step. So I said, “O.K. you win, BUT, you head right to the bathroom for a bath” and I pointed in the direction of the bathroom. To my surprise she went in to the bathroom and without being told, got into the bath tub. Tulip turned out to be one of the best. She was so smart and had such personality. I’ll tell one story to demonstrate. Everytime we were around water, she would always want me to through something in the water for her to retrieve. One day we came to a beach without only sand and rocks. I looked at her and said, “well your out luck Tulip, not sticks”. She took off and sometime later I see her dragging the branch of a tree, and it wasn’t a small branch. She dragged it up to me sat there and gave me THE LOOK. I haven’t had a dog since she died and that was almost 30 years ago.

— Michael from Gardnerville, NV

Earlier this month, I took my 15 year old cat, Gus to the vet thinking that he would have to be put to sleep.  His health had declined over the summer, and he was having trouble breathing.  He had a heart condition, and I knew he didn’t have much time left.

The vet said he had fluid in the lungs.  She drained his lungs, and he seemed to be more comfortable.  Unfortunately, his heart couldn’t take the stress, and he passed later that night.

I was absolutely distraught.  I had lost my best friend.  Gus died on a Monday night, the following Saturday I sat down and read Rescuing Sprite.  I wept openly through the entire book, and in many ways it was a painful experience.  But when I finished, I felt closure.  Thank you Mark for your wonderful book.

— Gus from Reading, PA

In 1998, I was single and petless. My sister had a six-month old Lab that she couldn’t keep because… well, he was a Lab and he did what Labs do. I wholeheartedly took him in and he became my best buddy and companion. Rain, snow, sleet, or shine Major and I enjoyed our daily walks. Even if it was 2 a.m. when I arrived home from an out-of-town meeting we had our walk. I got married in 2002 and Major lost some of me. I lived with some guilt because I missed Major being number one. He always kept me number one in his life. On Thursday, August 26, I lost my old buddy. I knew it would be hard but never understood how badly I miss him. Thanks for always being my buddy Major!

— Brent from Ft. Payne, AL

As an animal lover, I found my true love at a pet rescue on July 3, 1995. My husband and I named him Brutus (chihuahua mix). He was all ears when we got him at 3 months old. He has been our best friend throughout the years. He was always there for us through thick and thin. He loved us unconditionally. It is with a sad heart that we lost our beloved little man on July 20 at the age of 15. We know that he lived a great life with us and got to travel to many new locations. Our hearts still ache for him, but we know that we will see him again at the Rainbow Bridge. We are getting through it, but we still miss him a lot.

— Donna from Ooltewah, TN

I love dogs more than myself. I have three. Our black Cocker, Wiley is 15 years old. Her pancreas and liver shut down 4 years ago and the vet did not think she would survive. But she did. She reminds me of Griffin. Now she is old and feeble but still wants to run with the big dogs.

I can relate to your stories about Sprite and Griffin. I do anything and everything for her and her two buddies. It touches my heart to listen to your story about Griffin’s cancer. I wish you and Griffin all the best. Every time I am caring for Wiley I think of what you did for Sprite and Griffin. I know she won’t be with us for very much longer. I admire her spunk and love of life and her “I won’t quit attitude.” I have a huge lump in my throat. Pardon me, but I have to move on.

Our other dog, a chocolate Cocker, Maggie was returned to the breeder by an older couple that thought she was too aggressive. Not true. She is a sweet, devoted buddy. You might say we rescued her. She is 7 and takes care of me like a nursemaid. I have Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, a rare liver disease that Chicago Bears, Walter Payton #34 had. She has insight that defies human understanding.

Marcie is our white Standard Poodle we rescued from a shelter in Racine, WI. She is about 4 years old and a wonderful dog. I can’t imagine why anybody would abandon her. She is so devoted and loving.

I wish people could be like dogs. Imagine how much better society would be!

— Paul from Spring Grove, IL

My Shelby dog died just over a year ago. She was a sweet and loving German Shepherd who was an integral part of our family. It was tough losing her and her wonderful spirit.

Shelby was my walking partner – twice each day, everyday. We walked in the rain. We walked in the snow. We walked before daylight and we walked at night. Shelby loved fetching sticks and she loved other animals. I miss her deeply.

Just recently, I began working as a dog walking volunteer at our Animal Shelter. Now I have an entire kennel full of wonderful, loving animals.

The resiliency of these shelter dogs inspires me each and every day. Once escorted outside their cage, they awake to the sights, sounds and smells of the outside world. Happily, their “dog-ness” returns almost immediately.

I begin each walk using my “baby-talk” speak which helps set the tone for our short journey. Each animal reveals a little about themselves, their background, their training, their needs and their preferences. My goal for each animal is to establish a trusting relationship so as to maximize their brief time outside in the fresh air.

Many of my dogs were previously owned. Many were house-trained. Many are used to walking on a leash while others are often scared to death of cars, humans and loud sounds.

But I learn something from each animal I walk. Their backgrounds are as varied as life itself and my hope for each of them is that they find a good, safe and loving home.

I do have my favorites and once they are adopted I am saddened. Yet, I know that a part of me is with them – my smells, my “baby-talk” and my memories.

— Thomas from Raleigh, NC