I have always been an Animal person, and at one time even considered becoming a Veterinarian. I strayed from that aspiration, and instead became an Engineer in the Health Care Profession (Bo-Medical Engineer).

I lean more towards dogs, and at present have three Black Lab mixes. The oldest is an eight year old female named Princess who is the love of my life. Her adoption was easy. I was in a pet store purchasing food for my bunny, when my wife came in the store and drug me outside.

There was a young girl with a bundle of fur in her arms. She was giving away a litter, and this pup was the last of them. It didn’t take long for my wife to convince me to adopt her.

About seven years later, a couple that lived on the corner of the road I turned into, to get to my place (I live in the backwoods of west Tennessee) divorced, and abandoned two one year old male Black Lab mixes to fend for themselves. Two weeks or so passed, and it broke my heart each time I made the turn on to my road. I would stop, and both would come up to my truck to say hi (tails a wagging).

Finally I had enough, and stopped my truck. As soon as I got out, it was if they knew they were rescued, and jumped right in the cab.

That was a year ago, and now they are two healthy happy two year old pups. They are Agustus and Nikodemis (or Guss and Nick for short).

Every time I look at any of my three, I am so happy that they are part of my family. Now that my wife and I are retired, we can enjoy them more.

Mike from TN

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Pepper was our beloved Yorkshire terrier. We used to liken her to the Energizer Bunny, as once she started playing she’d just keep going and going. Her favorite game was fetching whatever you threw. It would finally get to the point where you’d have to pretend to throw something, just to get her to wander off for a bit, so you could buy yourself some time to run off. Then maybe, just maybe she’d finally quit. Amazingly, she carried on like this for 15 years.

Pepper really started to show some age maybe a year and a half ago. Heck, she was 16, so it should have been expected I guess. Gradually, her hearing went, then her eyesight. It was extremely heart wrenching to see our once endlessly energetic little Pepper like this. After several examinations, the veterinarian wasn’t convinced Pepper was in any pain. She was still eating, and would still take her daily walks with my parent’s neighbor, who we were very grateful for, as she always showed our pets a lot of love.

This went on for awhile, but it got to the point where we started to question the quality of life. After some time, the veterinarian was again consulted, and this time he said that Pepper may be experiencing some discomfort. My parents, being compassionate people, decided that having Pepper put to rest might be the most humane thing to do.

As long as I can remember, whenever one of our dogs had to be put down, it was something Dad dealt with. We’d say our goodbyes, he’d take the dog to the vet, and that was it. This time, it was decided to do it at home. I also wanted to be there. Having moved out of my parent’s house about 8 years ago, I wasn’t as emotionally connected to Pepper as I’d been in the past. I wasn’t sure how this would affect me. I was the one who held her when the final shot was administered. I felt her breathing slow down, and then eventually come to a stop. We all kissed her goodbye. Mom tried to close Pepper’s eyes, but I don’t know if she succeeded. It was a bittersweet moment. Pepper was finally at rest, and she deserved that. But none of us could help but think of the many long years she’d shared with us, and how that had just ended. I couldn’t help but think she wouldn’t see Spring this year. In my 39 years, I’d never experienced death up close. I’d always avoided it.. been afraid of it. I was glad I faced it yesterday, and was able to be there with my family and for Pepper.

My parents commented that they don’t think they could handle the pain of losing another pet. I reminded them that the last 17 years had been worth it. She had the best life that she could have. She will be missed dearly.

Jeffrey from NJ

“It’s just a dog”, I have heard them say. “Dogs are dumb”, I have heard them say.
Some fear any dog on sight, for reasons unknown to me.

Dogs take a bad rap far and wide, sadly. Yet, a dog gives man uncommon extensions of strength, devoted companionship without fail, and a literal replacement of man’s lost physical senses.

It is commonplace to hear the minimizing and debasement of the dog. At the same time, worldwide the commonplace standards are “guard dogs”, “dog teams”, and the benefit most taken for granted, the “seeing eye dog”. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Levin- I just finished reading your book and am still wiping my tears. Sprite was truly lucky to be a part of your family! Here’s my little story about my German Shepherd mix, Zero:

My dog Zero showed up as a stray a few years ago. Actually, I remember exactly when it happened. I have always been more of a dog person, but growing up I had a black cat whom I also found as a stray. He was my world, my comfort, my ‘guardian’. He was the smartest cat you would ever meet, he knew more commands than most dogs I knew. We had a sort of bond that cannot be put into words, a sort of ‘silent’ communication and I felt we understood one another. I am a photographer, and he was the first subject I photographed when my interest in photography began, he was a wonderful model for me. I had never bonded with an animal in this way. Along with him I grew up with a beagle mix (also a rescue), and as much as I would have wanted it- we just did not connect on that sort of almost psychic level I had with my cat, but she was a lovely, friendly, humorous dog.

When he was nearly twenty (guestimation on age by vet) I knew his time had come and so did he. He was an outdoor cat because of family allergies, and growing up in the country I was constantly outside. He stayed by my side at all times. In the weeks before his death, he was very estranged and would not accompany me anywhere. He just stayed distant and observed, maybe seeing how I could manage without him. On April 4, 2006, I found him peacefully lying down as if he had passed while asleep.

Two months later, Zero shows up- just nine months old. I kept having dreams about finding a big dog, but I did not understand their meaning. I firmly believe my cat ‘sent her my way’ knowing I would help her. She was skinny, a little scared, and had been beaten. She is afraid of shovels, hammers, any type of tool with a handle: which makes me believe this is what she would be hit with by whoever had her before me. We always find lots of strays out here and my friends and I would always find homes for them, but there was something different about her. I knew she was here for ME. Our bond grew strong and quickly, just as strong as the bond with my beloved cat.

She is very loving, high strung, and intelligent. My bond with Zero is like no other. We speak without words. She knows multiple commands, and is also trained in hand signals. Her favorite thing to do is chase squirrels, and play with her squeaker toys.

Rachel from OH