Losing a dog is so hard, I feel everyone’s pain as I read their stories. I have often wanted to call in to the show when you were talking about Sprite but I would never make it through my story without breaking down. We had a great black lab named Lindy. She was 18 years old. My oldest son had known her almost all his life since he was 22, He had been a very patriotic all of his life and wanted to go into the Army, He also had suffered from depression. He refused to take medication for it since he could not enlist if he was on the medication,

He did enlist and shortly before he was to leave for boot camp he asked if we could have Lindy put down before he left, She was failing quickly and he wanted to be there for her and not away at camp when it happened.

Before John left for camp, he had some things go wrong in his life that he could not handle and he ended his own life. I really did not think that I was going to survive this and I didn’t really think that I even wanted to. Shortly after John’s death, Lindy fell doen the deck stairs one night and was in so much pain that it was obviously time for her to join him. I sat up with her all night waiting for the vet to open and crying, telling her it was all right, to go be with John. About 5 am, she died.

This was all almost too much to bear. We had not even begun to recover from John. After about 6 months, I knew that my other kids and I needed something to help us out and give us something new to think about, Along came Dugan. He is the most wonderful, playful, and happy dog. He brought some laughter back into our house. I will always love him for that and he will always have a special place in hy heart.

Kathy from OH

Dear Mark,

I spoke with you a few years ago when the Terry Schiavo story was headline news. I told you how my daughter, who is a Nurse Practitioner was outraged how they treated, or I should say murdered poor Terry. You told me on that call that I should call again that you love Nurses. I have tried numerous times and the lines are constantly busy, due to you popularity.

Anyway, wanted to tell you that my Nurse Practitioner daughter has rescued many dogs over the years, and presently lives in PA with 6 rescued dogs and 2 rescued cats. Lucky for her she has a pretty large house and property and a job where she can support all these lovely rescued animals. She has a Katrina Lab whose mother and siblings were drowned. Read the rest of this entry »

Mark,
I just finished Rescuing Sprite and wanted to thank you for sharing your special moments, in hopes that someone who may not have been a dog lover, will now be one, because of your heartfelt book. I was compelled to write you when I got to the final chapter “Griffen.” I have lost babies from hamsters, bunnies to dogs, but my most special bond was with my dog, GRIFFIN. I lost he and his canine sister, Cheyenne, within 8 months of each other. The pain I know, is indescribable. They are true gifts from God, and must be cherished every moment of their precious, and unfortunately too short lives.
The best gift we can give them in return is to adopt another dog, that if not for people like you and I, would not be afforded an opportunity for a wonderful life, no matter how long it may be. In honor of my Griffin’s life, I adopted JAGGER from a local shelter. The simalarities in appearance between them is extraordinary, but they each have their own unique qualities that make them so special and unique.
Best wishes to you and your ENTIRE family – Sprite included. His memory will live on in your hearts forever, and if he could talk would thank you for the best 26 months of his life.

Jennifer from NJ

 Jagger

Mr. Levin —

I have to tell you what a comfort my wife and I found your book, “Rescuing Sprite.” So much in your book mirrored our own experience, Fifteen years ago, we rescued our beloved Border Collie, Scout, from the Arlington, VA, animal shelter. Even though I was the dog fanatic, Scout became my wife’s faithful companion — staying by her side through my extended work-related travel, through her bout with a serious illness, and through my four years in evening law school. They became inseparable, and he touched both our hearts in many ways. He accepted the subsequent arrival of our kids warmly and in many ways became the center of our family activities. In spite of all of this, I was surprised at how deeply it affected us — me in particular — when he came down with inoperable cancer. He fought it bravely for four months before it became clear the pain medication wasn’t doing enough and we had him put down. My wife and I held him and tried to soothe him as the veterinarian put him to sleep, and I haven’t been as upset by anything in years. It’s a little embarassing how attached you can get to an animal, but there it is. We buried Scout’s ashes beneath the dogwood tree in our front yard, and I speak to him often. Thanks for writing the book, and thanks for your cogent and wise political commentary as well.

Keep up the great work — you’re making a difference!

Doug from VA

I just finished your book about your Spritey. I had to make the decision to put Duke Down last June. He was “my” dog and my husband would not make the call for me. We had Duke 16 years. I retired from 34 years of teaching in June ’06 and thank that decision as I had one special year with my best guy. I didn’t see or probably didn’t want to see that Duke was going down hill. We were told that there was probably some kind of cancer in him (he went from a stron 60 lb dog to a frail 32 Lb. animal). As with all of the people you have heard from, Duke was there for me and looked for me when I wasn’t there. My friend said that I was so unaware of the fact that he was doing less and less and I was doing more and more for him. He was still eating but got to a point where he was having troulbe standing – falling over when he was doing his business. We were visiting my son’s home and he just looked so frail and weak and uncomfortable that I decided that weekend to put him to rest. That was Saturday. We didn’t stay at my son’s overnight as I wanted Dukey to be in his own home for the time he had left. When we got home he rallied and seemed his old self but I knew that I was fooling myself. I made the decision and going back would mean I would be faced with the same one in the not too distant future. On Sunday my husband was sitting on our deck and I had gone out. As I pulled into the garage, Duke watched me and leaned over. As I got out of the car, I heard my husband yell “oh my god he fell”. Apparently since Duck had lost so much muscle and weight he was thin enough to fit between the rails. Leaning over loooking for me he just fell from the upper deck about 10 feet to the ground below. My husband ran down and brought Duke up carrying him in his arms. Duke looked stunned but did not appear to have broken anything. I took that as a sign that I had made the right decision to put him to rest. We took him on the following Tuesday and to this day and I can see his eyes as he got the tranquilizer and staired into my eyes. I loved him enough to let him go and I think that that was the hardest thing I ever had to do or will ever have to do in my life. I loved that dog and still do. There is not a day that goes by since June 26, 2007 that I do not think about my Dukey

Pat from NJ

Your book brought back some memories, some I admit made me cry my eyes out
I too had a dog, whom I loved as my third son.
Our familly adopted Pee Wee as a puppy, we bought him in a puppy store and from the moment we brought him home knew our llives would never be the same. We too were moving (from Long Island, to Connecticut) so this was a blessing
Pee Wee lived with us for 15 years but as his final year approached he developed seizures and did the pacing like your Sprite.
We tried desperately to save him but our vet knew he was too old to put him through all the procedures.
We kept him comfortable and I did my best to give him anything he could want. We made many trips to MacDonald’s , he loved happy meals, and being the mom I couldn’t deny him .
He brought to us the most wonderful 15years, but like we all know they are too short , we don’t know what we have until we’ve lost it
I with the advise of my vet did decide after 3 weeks to open my heart and we now have Sunshine, whose name is fitting. After having to put Pee Wee to sleep I believed the sun would never shine in our lives again
I believe Pee Wee brought her straight into our lives because she’s never taken his olace but like having children( more than one, )you open your heart to love and be loved unconditionally
I so much feel the love you expressed for your canine children and I wanted you to know that it’s the nicest people in the world who have loved and their pets as you do
I’m a pet sitter so I hear horror stories and my heart breaks every time I have to find those sad stories.
Too read your book was like meeting an old friend, thank you for opening your story to all of us who know too well, who have all had our lives enriched by our beautiful canine kids
God Bless You, and I hope you get your just rewards when you finally get to see your Spritey at the Rainbow Bridge
Ellen from FL