Mark,
My husband gave me a copy of your book Rescuing Sprite. I cryed . In January 2005 we had to make the decision to end our pets suffering. Plato was a daschaund. He woke up the day after Christmas 2004 paraylized. We took him to our vet. and he sent us to the University of Georgia in Athens. We were told surgery was less than a 50/50 chance. He had discs that slipped into the spinal column and they felt the surgery would probally not help. He would have to stay for 2 weeks without me. (We live 2 hours from athens). I could not bare to put him through such a traumatic time and not even be with him.

We opted to go home. I called my vet on the way home and he said he would have done the same thing. we ordered a cart for him in hopes it would releive some of the pressure and it would help him maintain mobility. We understood the discs could slip upward at anytime which would cut off the respiratory system slowly. I cared for him around the clock. I had to express his anal glands and learn to apply pressure on the urinary track to help him urinate. i loved him and kept beleiving things would be better when the cart got here. He was still the happy loving dog as always. i got up 2 to 3 times a night to change his diaper to keep his skin cleaned. One night about 3 weeks after the initial diagnosis iI woke up to hear him having difficulity breathing. I took him to the doctor the next day , and the worse had happened. Read the rest of this entry »

I am on a fixed income and have not been able to purchase your book yet. I intend to buy it as soon as I possibly can. My story is about a yellow lab rescued by my wife and her two sisters.

They were on their way to Grove, Oklahoma when they came upon a dog that had been hit by a car and was lying on the shoulder of the road. They loaded him into the car and rushed him to a veterinarian, who recognized the dog as one belonging to a local resident. They found out his name was Muscle and that he was in very bad shape. Both of his hips were broken, one ear was nearly torn off, and he possibly had internal injuries. The vet contacted the owner and explained the situation to her. She informed him that she could not afford the cost of treatment and asked him to put the dog down. My wife and her sisters immediately volunteered to assume the cost along with ownership of this dog.

This yellow lab took about a year to recover and I told my wife that I thought they were crazy to spend so much money on this animal. He had to be fed by hand and had to be carried outside to go to the bathroom. But eventually he did recover and came to live at our house permanently in 1998. Read the rest of this entry »

Thirty years ago, my marriage of ten years ended in divorce. I hit my own personal emotional lowpoint. I had served six years in the US Navy, including almost four in Vietnam, and yet it was my divorce that really shattered me.

I had a three month old Akita X named “Doubious Doggus Maximus” or “Doob” for short, the confusion was intentional.

My soon to be ex wife had taken our Setter “Patches” with her . She had taken everything.

Anyhow, I was sitting alone in our almost empty house.

I was considering something that I had never considered before in my life, something that I have NEVER considered since.

I am ashamed to say that I was seriously considering suicide.

I was thinking that I had nothing to live for, I remember thinking, “why shouldn’t I? What do I have to live for?”

As God is my witness, at that exact instant “Doob” walked up to me and started licking my face.

All I could think of after that, was who the hell would take care of that puppy? Who the hell would love “Doob”? Because as we all know, the world can be a very cruel place.

“Doob” turned out to be one of the greatest dogs that ever lived. He came with me to Alaska to start a new life, and when his time came, he died in my arms after the vet gave him his merciful shot of death. I cried like a baby.

“Doob” saved my life that day. I owe my life to him, and more than once after that, (bandits and bears oh my). But that was the first time.

Anybody who says there are no dogs in heaven isn’t talking about the same place, or God, that I am.

Rest in peace “Doubious Doggus Maximus” my old friend, wait for me on the other side of that river all men must cross. We will meet again.

I am blessed to know that there will be several dogs, and my beloved family and friends waiting for me there also.

I don’t trust people who don’t love dogs. They seem empty to me.

Steve from AK

Reading mark’s heartwarming tale of sprite and pepsi continually reminded me of thumper. thumper was actually thumper “the third” — i grew up with two other thumpers, all black cocker spaniel or cocker/lab mixes. thumper the third was a grouch. but boy, did he love his mom and dad (mike and denise). he was loyal, obediant, always ready to jump in our laps and show us how much he loved us.

Two years ago, he got sick and i had to put him to sleep. the vet, bless her heart, came to our house because she knew how much thumper hated going to the vet’s office. i held him in my arms and cried and cried as she put the needle into his paw. he went so peacefully, but my heart hurt. badly. his little “sister”, our beagle, now has a new sibling, a puggle (pug-beagle mix) named rory. we love our dogs so much, but i will always miss thumper. thanks, mark, for this great site and for the opportunity to share my story with your many fans.

Mike from TX

Hi Mark, I wrote previously about my little border terrier Scout who died last spring. I have adopted a 12 1/2 year old border terrier from a family who didn’t want to keep her anymore. What a joy!! She is the best little doggie I ever had. On walks folks think she is a puppy. The problem they said she had (urinary) is no longer an issue. I switched her to an organic food and take her out more often and SHE SLEEPS HAPPILY ON MY BED. Holly was my Christmas angel!!!

Kit from MD

Seminole is a 9 year old shepherd and chow mix. An animal with the sweetest temperament in the world. When I return home from work he tucks his head under my chin against my chest and thinks this is the greatest thing in the world. His name, of course, comes from my favorite college football team. He came home with me at 41/2 mths. and we are growing old together. We know, as we have been reminded, “we are the lucky ones”. Seminole provides so much more than I ever could.

Harry from TX