TUCKER was abandoned and rescued from the Wayerbury Ct. dump. Every time 101 Dalmations is shown people go out and pay a lot of money for a Dalmation for their kids. Dalmations are not good dogs for children and require the care and attention of a child themselves. Since I have seen advertisements for the movie recently maybe you could warn people to learn all they can about the breed before they go abd buy a dog that they may not be happy with. Dalmations are great dogs but they are not patient and quiet like a Lab or a Golden etc.

Michael from CT

Dear Mr. Mark Levin,

My name is Nicole Thorp I am 12 years old. First I have to say that I love Rescuing Sprite I think it makes us cherish the time we have with our pets. I had a pet to until the morning of Febuary 5, 2008. My cat Sprite sneaked out of the house the day before and she didn’t come home and I thought it was strange. My mom went and looked for her as I got ready for school. She found her on the side of the street flat on the ground, laying there. She got hit by a car. I was heart-broken. I started crying and crying I couldn’t stop. I loved her and she loved me to. Everytime I had lost a pet I didn’t know what happened to them, but with Sprite I did. She was the best cat I ever had and now she’s gone never to return. Now I know how you and your family felt when you lost Sprite. I feel the same way, I miss her a lot and I can feel her absence around the house. I miss her. Thank you for listening to my email because you are a busy man. You can write back if you want.
P.S my dad loves your show he watches it everyday.
fondly,

Nicole from WA

Hi Mark,
Before your book came out, I listened to you every night and heard bits and pieces about the great story of Spritey! Each day I tried to focus more attention on my two Rottweilers, Maedche and Rommel. I think you are an angel, b/c on November 17th, I had to put my sweet baby girl, Maedche to sleep as I found out two days before that she had lymphoma spread throughout her body! As she was being put to sleep, I held her ihead in my arms and thanked her for being such a good dog! As I walked away, I thought that being an adult stinks, b/c prior to Maedche, I had never had to lose an animal as an adult. It was then that I empathized with my father as I remembered all our pets that had died. I am so grateful for those extra minutes I spent with her and credit those minutes to you. Losing maedche was a huge blow to my 5 year old son and me! It saddens me the most when he says he wishes for a huge ladder to go up to heaven and visit her! The week I lost her, I read your book and cried my eyes out! I, like you, was glad that I at least had my other dog Rommel to console me. He is a great big Alpha male and prior to losing Maedche I had never heard him whine. But, that is all he did for days after! Now that it has been almost 4 months, we are looking into adopting another Rottweiler. There are so mony dogs who need a good home, so hopefully we will be able to provide one for one lucky pup! Thank you again Mark for getting me through this most difficult time in my life!!!!!!!!

Allison from CT

I bought your book for two of my sons for Christmas, (but read it myself before wrapping). We had to put our Yellow Lab, Sabrina, down 2 years ago Feb. She was 9 yrs old and had arthritis of the spine. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life to make and carry out and I swore I would never have another dog. While reading your book, I remembered how much Sabrina had brought to our family and it made me realize that I missed having a dog. I think I may be able to take the plunge again. Thank you, for your book!

Patty from MO

My buddy Bear passed away on February 20th 2008. A blonde cocker spaniel, he was 14 years and 3 months old and we had gotten him when he was six weeks old. I am so upset that he is gone but I was given a gift. The night he died (of a heart attack) a strange thing happened. The morning of the 20th my mother received a call from her sister. Her sister had not seen Bear but maybe once or twice in his entire life and hadn’t seen him for at least seven or eight years. My aunt told my mother that she had a dream the night before and in the dream I (meaning me) was very upset. Then Bear “flew” away, although she described it as not exactly flying. Bear began talking to my aunt and saying that he was OK and was happy to be out of his failing body. After the dream, my aunt immediately called my mother and asked her if Bear was OK. My mother told her that Bear had died just a few hours before. My aunt lives in another state and I had not seen her in at least a year. She had no reason to have that dream. I choose to believe it was Bear telling me to not be so upset and to go on with my life. I believe it was God telling me that everything is OK after we die and that our loved ones are waiting for us. I was remarkably calm after hearing about the dream and feel at peace with what has happened. I miss Bear so very much but I know he is in a better place and that he is waiting for me. Thank you so much for caring about animals, and dogs in particular.

I read Rescuing Sprite and it was very similar to my situation except that I had Bear a long time and I didn’t have to put him down (although he had an appointment later that day). I feel sad that you didn’t have Sprite his entire life and that you had to put him down. I was really dreading that but Bear saved my having to do it. Hopefully, Sprite and Bear have met and are playing together in heaven.

David from TN

I’m old enough now to recognize the different stages and seasons of life. I’m going through a wonderful one with a two year old boy and another one on the way. When I got a phone call from Lauren Thursday afternoon asking me if I’d seen our Golden Retriever Charlie when I left for work, an unmistakable tinge in my gut mounted. He had been in good health, despite hearing loss. He was a champion. Not necessarily by blood line, but by heart. While we all have read essays on dogs and what they mean to us, I find myself compelled to grab “the pen” and share my thoughts about a beautiful golden retriever and what he meant to me. I didn’t bargain for crafting a eulogy on this Saturday morning, especially for Charlie, but here goes. I’m learning that putting thoughts together is therapeutic for me. Thanks in advance for allowing me to do that in un-edited, raw form.

I never knew him as a little puppy, although I saw him as a younger dog. I had no idea that he would become mine when he was five (5) years old, which is almost precisely nine (9) years ago. I was living in my family’s small cabin on the Hiwassee River. Charlie was the late P.B. Abel’s dog and after his death, his wife Pat moved into town. And although Charlie, “never met a stranger,” he was not a “town” kind of dog. He loved the river and everything about it. We shared the same passion for the place. It was a boy’s perfect theater for play–an outdoorsman’s consummate haven. The river region thrust all five of my senses into a constant state of fancy. It really was a magical place for both of us. I remember one day shortly before adopting him. I was fly fishing for brim in my grandfather’s old Crosby boat and Charlie decided to take a lengthy swim beside me just to hang out. He spoiled the fishing that day but I didn’t care, as I marveled at his swimming ability. He was 107 pounds of muscle, with a big square head. He had a beautiful, light-toned coat, with gigantic paws. When I adopted him, I took him to Taylor Animal Hospital to be clipped and bathed. He was looking pretty frazzled. From the moment I picked him up at their office, he clung to me. He was mine. Charlie had a way of teaching me life lessons and taking me interesting places. In many ways, I felt like a little boy who was just as enamored with his dog as his dog was with him. We played catch with tennis balls, took long rides in my truck, we fished, hiked, ran and sometimes even took naps together. Read the rest of this entry »