I’ve had dogs almost my entire life – all German Shepherds. They’re wonderful animals and when my husband and I married, we agreed that we would get another one. Then one day soon after we’d moved into our new home just north of Atlanta, I was painting baseboards when I heard the car pull up into the driveway. And then I heard, “come on girl – come on out.” As I looked out the front door, there came my step-son with a VERY DIRTY Yellow Lab in tow. While out shopping, they decided to adopt her. This was my very first Shelter dog. I must admit, I wasn’t impressed. She was extraordinarily friendly, but didn’t listen at all, wasn’t yet housebroken, and was a general nuissance! Then again, I was used to German Shepherds. I soon discovered that Labs are completely different animals. I wasn’t thrilled about all of this, but, after a few months of getting her used to our ways, I suddenly realized that it was myself who was getting used to her. Polly has been the most loving and wonderful dog I’ve ever had the pleasure to live with. She’s WONDERFUL in the house, never leaves our side, and is always ready to love anyone who comes through the door. She’s so at home with us that she doesn’t even wake up when I vacuum next to her – or on her! We moved back to Florida several years ago, and I work from our home now. Polly is 13 years old now and my business partner – always at my side while I’m on the computer, and always there with a paw in my lap when I need a friend. I often wonder how someone could have given away such a loving creature, because I can’t imagine my life without her!

– Suzzanne from Naples, FL

I just wanted to say that I enjoyed your story, “Rescuing Sprite.” It brought back memories of my dog “Sport.” I found Sport in the woods in the fall of 1996. Someone I knew was going to shoot him because he thought he was stealing chickens. He was covered in mud and his right rear leg was broken. I took him to the vet and the vet wanted to amputate his leg. I asked him what the other options were. He told me that he could wrap his leg in tape and hope that it healed alright. I told him to do that. He also told me that Sport was a Walker Hound and his markings were perfect. And that he was about a year old. He also told me that Sport was gun shy and that the other owner probably broke his leg and left him in the woods to die because he was useless to him.

I carried Sport home and cleaned him up. He was beautiful and kind. He limped around for a month or so. The couple I live with have chihuahuas and I think that he thought he was one too. He got to where he would go in and out the dog door which was low to the ground and just big enough for him to go through. It was funny. As his leg got better he would run around the yard like his leg was never broken. I am glad I made the choice to keep his leg. And he got to where he could fly through that doggie door. He was afraid of thunder and fireworks. One day it was raining and there was thunder. Someone came in the front door and out he ran. And he ran and ran and ran. I don’t know if he would have been able to find his way home. But I got in my truck and went after him. I found him and got him in my truck.

He was such a great dog. And he would pamper the chihuahuas. One even used to sleep next to his belly. To make a long story short. In the fall of 2008 he had an incident. I couldn’t find him. I finally found him in the back yard. He was lying on his side and it was cold and raining. I had to pick him up and bring him inside the house. I had a hard time getting him to stand up; but finally did. I dried him off. He was still shaking and his heart was beating real fast. I found out the next day that he had a heart attack. The vet also said that he was going blind. Which explained why he didn’t like to go outside at night. We have hawks and owls and I thought that maybe one had frightened him one night. Some of his favorite snacks were popcorn, peanut butter, and lemon flavored sherbet. I noticed he was having a hard time getting up and that his back legs weren’t steady.

He had another heart attack in late November 2008. I returned to the vet and found out he was almost completely blind and he had arthritis in his back and legs. Got some medicine and took him home. I knew the next time would probably be his last. So I really enjoyed the time we had left together. Then, about two days before Christmas he fell. I rushed him to the vet. His kidneys had failed. And I had to have him put down. It hurt me real bad. I had to sit in the parking lot at the vet office until I was able to drive home. I left him at the vets office. And never saw him again. I regret that I hadn’t planned for his death like you did. I wanted him to live and he still does in my heart. I still have dreams about him every once in a while and think of him all the time. I still haven’t got a new dog yet. Although I have recently been thinking about it. Thanks for writing your book Mark. It was the right thing to do. I haven’t cried so much reading a book in my life.

– Marvin from Jacksonville, FL

My wife and I have a story to tell. When I met my wife she had, and still has, a Yorkie. I grew up with dogs and wanted to adopt one of my own. We went on the local humane society’s web site and found the cutest looking German Shepherd mix. She was listed on the web site as between 4 and 6 years old and weighing 45 pounds. We don’t know what she was mixed with but what ever it was we were in love. We went to meet her and instantly knew that we were meant to adopt her, and she adopted us in return.

On March 6, 2004 we adopted that sweet little girl, she was sick right off the bat. Within a week of adopting her she was diagnosed with a severe case of kennel cough. I was out of town on a trip, I am an airline pilot, and my girl friend (now my wife) took her to the vet. Her breathing was very labored and she was not doing well. Our vet started giving her intravenous fluids and antibiotics. She made a good recovery, but, then told us that she was no where near the 4-6 year range the humane society told us, she was closer to ten years old. We didn’t care, we loved her.

Her next hurdle was a dental problem, she had four teeth that had been cracked in half. They were the long blade shaped teeth at the back of her mouth. They think that she was on her own for a very long time and she injured them while she was a stray.

We had a great first year, she loved going on walks with her new brother (the Yorkie named Hercules) and the two of us. We would walk along a converted rail line here in the Pittsburgh area called the Montour Trail.

A brief aside, while on one of these walks when I was again out of town she defended her little brother. Herc, as we call him had gotten into trouble. This was not unusual, he would go off into the tall grass next to the trail and on this day, he got bitten by something. We don’t know what it was but we do know that his big sister came to his rescue. She went into the tall grass and came out with the critter in her mouth. She wasn’t hurting it, she was just holding the poor thing in her mouth. My wife went over and tried to get her to drop the critter, in her attempt to do this my wife was bitten. Heidi dropped the animal and it scurried off, none the worse for wear. Meanwhile, my wife had to go and get rabies shots.

Just after that year mark we took Heidi into the vet’s office for her yearly appointment. We have a great vet, her name is Dr. Christine Mulliken. She remarked that Heidi seemed to have very dilute urine. She did some tests and it turned out that Heidi had renal failure. Not only that but due to the renal failure she had very high blood pressure. Dr. Mulliken told us that the blood pressure and the renal failure were tied together. That if we were lucky we would lower the blood pressure and the kidneys would recover. We were not that lucky. If she had complete renal failure we would only have another year with her. We treated both problems.

The blood pressure was the easy one, just a bit of medication and she was set. The renal failure was the hard one. We had to give sweet Heidi a liter of fluids daily, subcutaneously. This meant that twice a day we would have to stick her with a needle and put half a liter of fluids into her back, just in front of her shoulders. We were very fortunate that my wife worked at a hospital at the time and we were getting the fluids for a dollar a bag, the vet’s office was charging twenty times that.

For about six months things were going well, she maintained a great energy level and then she “crashed.” We ended up at the vets office pumping fluids into her and she snapped back. Things went well again for a few months. Then on Christmas she fell ill again. In the back of our minds we knew that the year clock was ticking, but, we could not give up on her yet. We upped the amount of fluids that she was getting and that helped her. She was now getting 1.5 liters twice a day, some days that went better than others. Three bags of fluid were a small price to pay to get her back on her paws. Then on the morning of our wedding, February 25, 2006 she crashed. We rushed her over to the vet’s office and they took her right in, we were known by all of the vet techs and vets by this point. Before the wedding we were both a wreck, as soon as the wedding was over we were both over at the vet’s in all of our garb. They did say that it was the first time that they had a wedding party in the building.

A week later we had to make the hardest decision of our lives. With both of us in the room, along with family and close friends, we gathered around her and whispered in her ear how much we loved her and we petted her as she went to sleep.

Her passing was a call to action for us. My wife and I now volunteer at the local Beaver County Humane Society. We have adopted three more dogs and one cat from the shelter. Thank you again for all that you do for animal shelters. We have read Rescuing Sprite and feel as though we have lived our own version of the same story.

This didn’t start out to be quite so long. We really loved that girl and miss her more every day.

– Keith from Aliquippa, PA

This is the story of my parents Dachshund Heidi. She is 10 years old. When my Dad got her for my Mom she was so little that she fit in the palm of your hand. When she got older, she would divide her time between my parents equally. Then in 2005 my Dad was diagnosed with Liver problems. My Dad is a proud US Marine Veteran. In Vietnam he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. My Dad was always so strong like a rock and it was so hard to watch him go down hill and Heidi was right there to comfort him and watch over him. There where a few days my Dad was so weak that he would fall and Heidi would bark and run to get one of us to help. She became a Dad’s little nurse.

In 2007, my Dad’s Kidneys failed. Now we were waiting on a Liver and Kidney Transplant. Heidi now 7 would spend all day with my Dad either in bed with my Dad or sit next to him on the sofa. At night was my Mom’s time she sat with her until it was time to go to bed. Heidi always makes sure she spent time with both of them. I moved back home to help with my Dad and to give my Mom time to relax. Heidi then started to spend time with me. She has such a big heart in her little body.

In May 2008, My Dad received his transplant. For three months after the transplant my Dad could not touch or hold her. Heidi and Dad did not like this one bit, but she found a way to keep in eye on him. My Dad started to get better and they would go outside on nice days and Heidi would sat right there to watch over him and make sure he was ok. Always walking behind him when he would go anywhere in the house. Still at night was my Mom’s time.

September 27, 2009, My Dad, My hero passed away. He was in the hospital at the time. He spent so much time in the hospital that I found a stuffed Dachshund so he could have Heidi with him there. A nurse made a collar with an ID bracelet. My Dad was buried in his Marine uniform with the stuffed Heidi beside him. The Reserve Marine Unit from San Antonio came and played TAPS and folded the flag graveside. During this whole time Heidi knew something was wrong. Dad was not home so, she sat by the front door waiting for him to come home. There where times we could not find her, she would be laying on my Dad’s bed sleeping or would lay on the sofa in my Dad’s spot. A few months ago Mom got a new sofa, when we went to move the sofa Heidi would not get off the sofa. We would lift her off and jump back on the sofa. When we finally got the sofa out of the house she was howling like a Bloodhound. Mom and I started to cry.

I have always heard about pets that would take care of their humans never saw it in person until Heidi became part of our family. She was the best nurse for my Dad. I know if it was not Heidi my Dad would have lasted as long as he did.

– Tyson from Houston, TX

Back in August I bought a kitten a Chause from a lady on the Internet I fell in love with him from the first time I laid eyes on him with him being an exotic cat I read everything I could lay mu hands on so I could be a good mom my Chow was my heart I was training him to be my therapy animal ( I am a veteran) he knew when I was getting into trouble before my body did we where connected. We where un separable he would sit in the basket at the store, he rode with me in the car and sleep at my head at night if I started having a nightmare he would wake me up with a light purr and a slap to the face. Then he started losing a lot of weight I took him to the vet an found out he had a bad heart and he also had feline leukemia he had his shots but from what the vet said he was borne with the problems. Two day’s later my 9 month old kitten died in my arms and it feels like I have a hole in my heart

I found out about a group called Chause rescue and now I am a member rescuing and finding good homes for exotic cats so far I have places several cats from a osiecat to a savanna my Chow is still with me along with the hole in my heart but if I can help other animals find forever homes I think my CHOW CHOW will be happy.

– Jeanette from Denham Springs, LA

Our family rescued Fred as an 8 week old Weimeraner 10 ½ years ago. We lost our little guy to a brain tumor last Wed 2/17/10, and he is terribly missed. Fred had to be seen to be believed. When we adopted Fred as a puppy, the Weim Rescue representative told us he was her favorite, but he constantly made a strange, expressive noise, like he was communicating. My wife and I deemed it his “horn”, and if you asked if he was interested in a walk, or a treat or dinner, he’d let you know that he was on board. His horn was so unique, expressive, and indicative of how full of life he was.

Fred lived for walks and time with his family. He loved to chase squirrels and lay in your lap as if he didn’t weigh 90lbs. He was special beyond words, whether giving our kids kisses, or waiting patiently at the window for us to come home. His tail would wag at a mere glance in his direction. He loved people, the car, other dogs, peanut butter bones and children. What we would give to have him back.

Fred’s brother Buckley, was rescued 9 years ago as a 2yr old Weim that was in pretty bad shape. Fred took to him immediately, and they were inseparable ever since. Buckley seems pretty lost without his wing man- so are we.

– Chris from Dallas, TX

To us, he was the biggest blessing, and the greatest dog. We love you Fred!