Heidi was a beautiful dobermann. She was one year old, and was a friendly outgoing dog. Her family recently had to move to a smaller home, and did not have to space for such a large pet. She was going to the pound.
When we found out, we asked them to please let us take a chance with her. We already had a dog Dusty was a four year old Beagle. They hit it off right away, and Heidi became a member of our family. She was great with out three kids, and loved to go for walks, and ride in the car.
We had a van, and her seat was the back bench. She went everywhere with us. The only times she ever would cause a problem was when we drove by a McDonalds. When we would stop, she always got two burgers, so she recognized the golden arches.
she was a first class cuddler, and still thought she was a lap dog, even though she weighed over seventy pounds. Her place in the house, was the rug in front of the fireplace. She knew that was where she belonged. Our cat, whom Heidi would chase when outside, would walk around the rug , when Heidi was on it and tease her, because she knew that the dog couldn’t leave the rug.
Heidi loved to run. Our favorite place to go was the wash down behind our home. When it was dry, it was a perfect place for her to cut loose and have fun.
It was at the wash, that I first noticed that something was wrong. She had developed a slight limp. I thought it was something minor, and ignored it at fiest, but it became more pronounced as time went on. Our vet was baffeled .
He said it was probably a sprain.
About two weeks before Christmas 1996 I noticed that she was having dificulty getting up. We went back to the vet, and he sent us to a specialist.
Our new vet said that heidi was suffering from Drop Paw, a disease similar to MD in humans. We tried all sorts of therapy, but she continued to rapidly go down hill.
Two days after Christmas the vet came over. Heidi could no longer stand, or eat. She couldn’t control her ability to go potty anymore. She was distressed, but in little pain.
All the family was there, to hold her and say goodbye. All except my oldest son Ben. He couldn’tstand saying goodbye, and stayed in his room and cried. There were tears all around as I held Heidi in my arms, while the vet put her down.
It was like loosing a child.
Heidi was buried next to the garden, where she used to love to sit and watch the neighborhood kids play.
She is badly missed. I took comfort in the fact that she was no long suffering. I do believe that animals have souls, and know that someday we will be reunited with her in a happier place. A place where I am sure she is out running and having fun.

Brian from AZ

My wife and I moved back to Hobbs in Nov. of 2006. For about 6-8 months she noticed a small long haired dog trying to run with a pack of dogs. Being paralyzed in the hind quarters, the pack would be a block or two in front of her, and she would come bumping along behind.
My wife had a neighbor capture her and our lives took a dramatic turn.
Tuffy was in very bad shape when we took her in.
She was covered with fleas, she had diarrhea,worms,low white blood count, and no control over her bowls or kidneys due to her paralysis.
We had to decide weather to have her put down or try to save her,we chose the latter. Approximately two thousand dollars later she is happy, and healthy and a treat to our lives.
She has adjusted to wearing new born diapers while she is in the house,and I have taught her to sing with me to the meow, meow,meow cat food song.
I drive truck for Wal-Mart Trans. out of Plainview Tx.
I stay gone for 5 days. and when I arrive home on Sun. she always greets me at the door and is ready to sing.
If she gets hungry she will bring us her bowl and drop it our feet, look up at us as if to say, did you forget something.
Our local newspaper did a full page artical on her about special needs pets.
I would be happy to send you a copy of the article, if I could have your mailing address.
She is an excellent guard dog and is a treat to own.
Thanks for giving us a place to share our stories.

I listen to you on XM Radio on the road and streaming at home.
Keep up the good work!

Sandy and Stan from NM

Just finished reading” Rescuing Sprite” and it brought back a flood of memories of all the dogs my family and I have owned from when I was a small boy. (I’m now a supposedly responsible middle-aged attorney/Husband/Father of four and proud owner of a six year old Newf “Maggie” and one year old Corgie puppy “Quinn”. Over 35 years ago, our beloved German Shepard “Mitzi” had to be “put to sleep”, she was 12 years old, and had such bad arthritis and hip problems that she could barely walk. We had an old house in South Orange, and all the bedrooms were upstairs, so for over two months, my Father would carry our beautiful 75 pound Mitzi up the stairs each night, and down the stairs each morning…eventually her pain was so intense, she would softly cry, and my parents waited one day until the eight of us were in school, and took her to the Vet for the last time.To my younger brothers and sisters, Mitzi was “at a farm in Pennsylvania”…but we older ones knew she was gone…Mark your book helped me remember all that is good with our human/canine relationships…and as with your Griffen…other dogs will arrive in your life…but is it crazy that a 54 year old guy still misses his beloved dog? My Catholic faith reveres St. Francis, and I hope and pray for his intercession that when we reach our final reward, our human relatives and friends are there to greet us…along with our beloved animal relatives. God bless you Mark!

Charlie from NJ

I know how hard this must have been for you and your family to have to let go of Sprite. My husband and I also had to make the difficult decision to put our girl, Kia, down, on December 9, 2006 due to cancer. She was 12 1/2 years old. Kia was a beautiful Rottweiler. She was a sweet and happy dog and lived each day to the fullest with her number one priority to make us happy. Although it has been some time since that day, the pain is still there. We think of her every day, but always remind ourselves how blessed we were to have her in our lives. Thank you so much for sharing your story and writing such a heartfelt and touching book! I enjoyed reading it and it was reminder to all of us how dogs enrich and touch our lives. God bless.

Joyce from CA

Dear Mark,
My name is Amanda Haley and I am 10 years old. My daddy listens to your show all the time, and he is going to order me a copy of your book about Your dog Sprite. I hope to meet you some day and have you sign the book. I wanted to send you something my dad has in a frame under the picture of our two dogs that I grew up with when I was little. Their names were Luke and Sheena and I loved them very very much. So here is the thing I wanted to send you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as my daddy does.

TRIBUTE TO A DOG
The fallowing is taken from a speech made by former Senater George Graham Vest of Missouri. It was delivered in 1870 when he was acting as a lawyer in a suit against a man who had killed the dog of his client. After the jury listened to Vest’s impassioned speech, his client received damages of $150.
The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.
A man’s dog stands by him in poverty, in health and sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will lick the sores and wounds that com in encounter with the roughness of the world. He gaurds the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.
When all other friends desert, he remains . When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is a constant in his love as the sun in it’s journey through the heavens.
If misfortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to gaurd against danger, to fight against his enemies.
And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in it’s embrace, and his body laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eye sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true, even in death.

Auther unknown

Amanda from MN

On Feb.11 2008 I had to take my 9 year old Brindle Boxer to our vet to have her put down. This was after taking her to a Los Angles vet and discovering that She had cancer of the pelvic and was uncurable> I held her when the vet gave her the shot and it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. This is not much of a story. Im sure it is quite common but we have had Princess for nine years and our house is empty without her. All I have to do now is wait for the Rainbow Bridge to happen.

Philip from CA