Dixie was the most wonderful dog I and my wife ever knew. She was a border-collie/lab mix we took in as a pup with a red ribbon around her neck, shortly after we were married. We could barely feed ourselves at the time, but couldn’t resist her, at first sight. She always liked to fake us out with a lifted paw for a handshake, only to lower her paw and head for a pat when we reached down to her. We recently lost her after 13 years. She was a living chronical of our marriage, and lived to see our first son who was born 6 months ago. She will always hold a warm place in our hearts. Thanks, Mark.

Shawn from TX

Ranger is the dog that got my then 11 year old son through a year of nightmarish chemotherapy.
Ranger is a 4 year old Goldendoodle that came to us as a reject from another home. He was thrown out for being a busy puppy. We took him in despite the fact that we already had 2 big dogs and needed another dog like we needed a hole in the head.
He was meant to be here.
My son Jake was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoblastic Lymphoma one year later and Ranger was his guardian. His chemotherapy was nothing short of hell and his dog sat with him, laid with him, kissed him, and listened to him the whole time. NHL has about a 70% survival rate and Jake and Ranger beat it.
Ranger is a special dog with a special place in all our hearts.

— Angie from Greenwood, IN

We had to put our beloved pets down together two weeks ago and it has hit me like a ton of bricks. I just read Rescuing Sprite and it was very helpful in my grieving process with both tears and laughter. Sophia the blond Chow & Lab mix was almost 16. I rescued her from death row when she was still quite young. She was abused and left in a vacant house for several days when the owners just left. Her barking saved her life and now the silence in our house is deafening. She was fading over the last several months and then we found out Vinnie the Newfie and Lab mix had an inoperable malignant tumor on his rear hip and leg diagnosed back in November. He was a gift from a family member and 11 and we had him for almost 9 years. Our other dog Siena was killed by a hit and run driver in 2006 when she was 8 after she escaped out of our house. I was crushed since she was my Dog. But we had her Brother and Sister to help ease the pain and now there is no barking or begging or jumping or anything. They all had reasonably long lives and knowing we had these last few months with the last 2 didn’t make it easier but it will get better and they were so happy up until their last moments. I truly tried to live in the moment with them during the last months which helped. That’s the way our pets live so it helped me focus on the now not the dreaded day that was coming. My Wife and Daughter and I all said goodbye like we all do and the days are getting a little easier. If your pets are still with you, treasure those little insignificant moments as the little things make our daily lives and our pets make our lives better.

— Rick from Scottsville, VA

Maggie is our 7 year old Golden Retriever. There are no words to express the love we feel for her. She is a best friend who is always glad to see us. I can go out to the mailbox and come back in and she acts like we haven’t seen each other for hours. Such a joy. The happiness she has brought into our lives is irreplacable. One fun thing I would like to tell you. Maggie can say “mama”, especially when there is a hamburger involved and she wants some. I am a speech therapist in an elementary school and my students love to hear about how the speech teacher taught her dog to talk.

— Sue from Myrtle Beach, SC

We have two beautiful chocolate labs. Hamilton is 13 years old and Abigail is 9 years old. They love being together and are best buddies as you can see in the picture attached. Hamilton has several health problems, but with 5 medications, he is still hanging in there and sometimes thinks he is still a puppy. He has arthritis, congestive heart failure and liver problems from taking medications for his arthritis. He is also going deaf and finding it hard to see well. We spoil both dogs rotten and they usually claim the sofa before we get a chance to sit down. We worry about Hamilton because of his age and health problems, but he just keeps going and we hope we have him for several more years. Abbie has some arthritis too, but still gets around very well and is a sweetheart. Never thought I would be so crazy about dogs, but these two are part of our family and we love them dearly.

— Linda in Jersey Shore, PA

I was at working at home one day and stacked the dogs’ beds on top of one another to save some space.  As I came back into the room, I couldn’t find our Basset Hound.  Then, I noticed the nose sticking out of the two beds and realized that she had made a sandwich… the two beds with her as the filling!

Dixie is our seven year old Basset Hound that we rescued four years ago.  She came to us after being neglected for many years and never had been on a leash for a walk.  Needless, to say she humors us on a daily basis…from the Dixie sandwich, to howling at fire engines to save us, and getting into trouble all the time.  But she is also the most lovable animal that just wants love and attention, always ready to curl up on your lap, thinking she weighs only five pounds.

Over two years ago, Dixie developed glaucoma which we have thankfully controlled through eye drops.  She sure costs a heavy amount each month but her presence in our home is priceless.

Our hope is that everyone finds a rescue dog like our Dixie girl!

— Kristin from Pleasanton, CA