Thank you for writing your book, It is a wonderful story, and reading about your experiences with your loving dogs and family brought joy as well as sad moments for me. We had two beautiful indoor cats for sixteen years. They were only six weeks old when they came to live with us. We lost both of them in 2007, Susie, a tabby, and Lucia, a white Persian, Jan. 15, and May 15. My heart still aches and I cry often. I loved them so much They both had great personalities. I wish more people would be like you and love and care for their wonderful loving pets. Thank you,
Joan from CA

Thank you, Mark for sharing youur feelings in your book about Sprite. I experienced many of the same but had not identified words for them for nearly 2 years after I had to put my beloved sheltie Strega to sleep after her brave battle with kdney failure. I felt I could have done more early on and was eaten up by guilt for not having done more. I finally had to stop and just start being grateful for each of the short precious days we had together.

When you say “Goodnight Spritey” at the end of a broadcast, I cry because of my own grief and the sadness I feel for you because you still miss him. My Strega was my joy. I looked into her eyes and saw pure love. I was blessed to be loved by her.

Karen from MI

Your book was truly hard for me to read……as dog lovers we have all been in your shoes. we have to just remember that the love and happiness out weighs the bad. here is my story, we had a retriiever mix that after 15 years of loving had to be put down because of tumors in her lungs.

I never thought i would ever get another dog…then one day my husband and son brought home a black lab mix that they rescued from a construction site(the owner was going to take her in the woods and shoot her) i named her Grace because she was my saving Grace. She sounds so much like your Pepsi………..loving and giving. Then about a year ago a dog was on the local news. this animal had been found by the warden in a ditch on the side of the highway. he had been hit by a car,fell in the ditch and couldn;t get out because his pelvis was broken. Read the rest of this entry »

I wanted to send this out to our family and to those friends who love pets, and have heard about Pebbles through the years. Pebbles was put to sleep this morning as Janna held her in her arms at the vet’s office.

Janna bought Pebbles when she was just weeks old in 1995, (she was all white then, as Dalmatians get their spots later.) I flew down a while later and got acquainted with that wonderful dog, so gentle, loving, enthusiastic. Janna hadn’t married at that time, and while Janna was working, Pebbles and I spent the few days alone to take walks, eat, and sit quietly in the living room while she and I both rested in front of the TV in beautiful Florida.

The movie “101 Dalmatians” was out in the theaters, and wherever we walked, parents would stop with their children, cars would slow down, and children would be hanging out the windows saying “hi” or waving to Pebbles. All through her life, she was like that…she was so beautiful. Read the rest of this entry »

This morning I called the vet’s office to make an appointment. In a couple of hours I’m bringing my beloved corgi, Bailey, to the vet’s to put to sleep. Bailey and his companion Pumpkin are two rescue corgi’s I’ve had for 7 years. A couple was getting divorced and dropped these dear and funny dogs at the Humane Society- literally on their way to the divorce hearing. I received a call not too many days later asking if I still wanted a rescue corgi. YES! I told the gal at the other end of the phone…she then asked when I could come and see THEM. “THEM”? I asked her. Yep- it was a twofer deal. Though not blood related, these two have lived together since they were pups. They have been an hilarious pair- they play together, they sleep together, and together, they’ve owned my heart. This morning Pumpkin and I are struggling to say goodbye. Pumpkin is the frisky, pushy and chatty one of the two- yet this morning she’s somber and very quiet. She knows.

In the mundane world of practical matters I told the vet I wanted to stay with Bailey while he leaves us. I was informed that will be fine- and will cost $50 more. I’m not certain what that extra $50 will do- and though I’m cash strapped at present, I willingly agreed to pay the extra $50. Bailey is a treasured part of my family, I need to be with him to say goodbye.

Mark, I’ve been a devoted fan of yours for years- I listen to your show regularly and have benefited from “Men In Black” and my heart has been warmed and touched by “Rescuing Sprite”. I especially respect and depend on your unwillingness to back down from principle- regardless of the personalities involved.

Thank you for the space to share my story,

God Bless you and your family,
Deborah from FL

I just fiinished your very good book about Sprite. My dog Blackie died last Jan. with some kind of infection. He lasted only 3 days. We couldn’t get his fever down and he just got weaker. So your book was reminding me of him.

Pat from OH