7 years ago, I met a 6 week old Great Dane. Little did I know that this little girl would change the lives of many, including mine. As the years went by, our bond strengthened. She never left my side. From an early age I realized how intelligent she was. I decided to teach her as much as I thought a dog could possibly learn. Her response was quite impressive. More impressive was her understanding of relationships.

One weekend my wife and I took Halle to a local dog park. Halle had never been around so many dogs at once. Several dogs began fighting in the distance. Halle rushed to the scene and stepped in between the two fighting dogs. It took her a couple of snaps to get them to back away. As they slowly backed away from each other, still visibly angry, Halle remained in between them and gave them each a scolding bark. The hair on her back lowered as they went on their way. Arguments at home became a rare occurrence as well.

Halle truly appreciated and understood our relationship. When she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in June of 2007, we were heartbroken. She had developed a tumor on her wrist which required amputation. This was only to accommodate her as far as pain was concerned but would not prolong her life. She was given between 3 and 6 months. We were excited when December came around and she was tumor free, so we thought. The lungs are usually affected first after a diagnosis.

On January 13th 2008, we came home to find her very swollen in the abdominal area. We rushed her to the vet fearing bloat. On the way to the vet, she put her head in my wife’s lap, looked up at her and began seizing. She was having a heart attack. We did all we could but after 2 more heart attacks we let her go. She passed away around 5am. She had developed a tumor deep in her abdomen as opposed to her chest as we had expected. It caused the same complications as bloat would have. We knew it would happen but we hate that it happened so fast.

The day before she passed she asked to go outside. I sat with her for awhile and then went inside for a bit. I later looked through the window to check on her. As she sat on the grass she seemed to be pondering. She would look up at the trees then the sky and even follow a leaf as it blew by. I took pictures of her that day and looking back I can see why enjoyed that day in the sun. My wife and I put together a slide show for her. There is no way words can express how loved Halle was. My wife and I put together a slideshow of her. This tribute is dedicated to all who have loved and lost. God bless all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl1k7tSMTnI

Terry from TX

I received this beautiful story and felt it needed to be shared.

The Old Man and the Dog

“Jody, Watch out! You nearly broad-sided that car!” My father yelled at
me. “Can’t you do anything right?” Those words hurt worse than blows. I
Turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me
To challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I
Wasn’t prepared for another battle.

“I saw the car, Dad. Please don’t yell at me when I’m driving.” My
Voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt. Dad
Glared at me, then turned away and settled back. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Mark —

We recently lost two of the most precious dogs God ever created. Our gentle giant, Bella, was the sweetest German Shepherd, 105 pounds of slurpy kisses and wagging tail,suffered much the same as your Spritey with crippling arthritis. We were blessed with a wonderful vet, who tried everything including accupuncture to give her some relief. However, the disease overcame her and we had to make that awful decision to have
her euthanized. My husband, who has serious heath issues of his own, was devastated and still feels her loss.

Five weeks after her death, we discovered that our beloved bouncing ball of energy and mischief, our Westie, Peach, had untreatable cancer and while he was in surgery, our vet once again came to us with bad news and we had to consent to have him euthanized. He was my special little boy, and while it has been nearly 3 months I still cry for him every day. We just couldn’t let him suffer both from the surgical recovery period and from the cancer.

I must tell you that the interactions of these two dogs was priceless. When they were both pups (they were approximately the same ages) what one didn’t think of, the other did — just like two kids. They brought us joy and unadulterated love, no questions asked. Read the rest of this entry »

I would like to share “Moochie” with everyone. He is not a dog but a cat. Several years ago, I opened my back dog and this young cat barged in. He was sweet and warm and wouldn’t leave. As time went on – he became a bit of a nuisance. The most persistent cat I have ever met – he had to be with us. We learned that he belonged to some neighbors down the street. Unfortunately, these neighbors were not the kindest people in the world. Moochie was malnurished and responded to our attention and love. We always encouraged him to leave but he somehow chose us over his owners.

Today, he has completely abandoned his owners – and stays close to our house. He is not ours but he is in our hearts. It’s an unbelievable story, but Moochie will not let us go. By the way, Moochie is not his real name. We named him Moochie originally, as he was such a Mooch when he first barged into our house.

We will watch over Moochie forever…..each night when we let him out we say “Go with God.” And every morning it is a joy to see hiim at the front door – in rain, snow blizzards – no matter what he is there waiting. Thanks for reading.

Bolan from NY

I JUST FINISHED READING RESCUING SPRITE AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU MY THOUGHTS. I RECEIVED YOUR BOOK AS A GIFT FROM A FRIEND WHEN I HAD TO PUT MY GOLDEN RETRIEVER – SUNNY – DOWN. HE WAS SUFFERING FROM BONE CANCER. IT TOOK ME SEVERAL MONTHS TO GET THE COURAGE TO READ IT. I WAS OK UNTIL I STARTED READING THE PART WHERE YOU HAD TO PUT SPRITE DOWN. IT WAS LIKE DEJAVU ALL OVER FOR ME. I TOO HAD TO PUT SUNNY DOWN ON DECEMBER 7 BUT IN 2007. MY VET ALSO CAME TO THE HOUSE AND AROUND THE SAME TIME. IT WAS VERY STRANGE READING THAT PART.

DOGS ARE VERY SPECIAL TO ME. MY HUSBAND TELLS ME MY DOGS GET BETTER TREATMENT THAN HE DOES! I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS WONDERFUL BOOK. IT MADE ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE DECISION I MADE TO PUT SUNNY DOWN. IT’S A TERRIBLE THING TO HAVE TO DO AND I AM NOT SURE I COULD EVER DO IT AGAIN…

Nannette from FL

I lost my mother almost two years ago, and when i moved from florida i had to give my dog lucky away because where i used to live i could not have dogs. Every night i either dreamed about my mom,or dog.now i have a two year old beagle named iris.
i am not lonely like i was.
she sleeps next to me every night and knows when i am upset.
thank you Mark,
for writing your book about sprite.
God bless you,
Jeff from MD