I loved your book about Rescuing Sprite. I revere those who accept the challenge of loving those pets that might not otherwise see a home with love and warmth.

I volunteered at a rescue for several years but must admit it got to me to see abused, neglected and abandoned animals day in and out.

I have rescued a few of my own.

The one that has the most dramatic story (this is the reader’s digest condensed version) was that of Pomeranian that we rescued from a pet store! Sounds strange I know , but this dog was due to go back to the puppy farm from whence it came if someone didn’t buy it soon. We had been watching it for four months and hoping someone would buy it – but no one did, so we took it in to our home so it wouldn’t have to go back to the deplorable conditions of the puppy farm.

He was cute as a fox – so we named him Fox. He was loving and warm.

My daughter had just recently lost her puppy to a car accident to which she was a witness. Thank goodness death was instananeous — but the trauma was still real to her.

Thus, as Fox entered our lives he was over protected, to say the least. He was never allowed to walk anywhere- not even on a leash.

But one day he was left alone and our 18 month old son was toddling around the house in his diaper. The kids room upstairs had a hole in the window screen and quite often they would throw toys out the window – not sure why except that kids like to do strange things. Read the rest of this entry »

My husband gave me your book for Christmas in honor of our dog BJ (Buddy B) who we lost on Dec 3, 2007. BJ, a terrier mix ,was 14 3/4 years old when he left us. We had had him since he was 2 months old.. his mom showed up at my parents’ farm one spring… had one puppy which got ran over by the handyman! the next spring she had a litter of 7 pups, BJ was one of those. We also took his sister, Cashew, to live with us but unfortunately bad luck with vehicles ran in the family and she was hit also! I even went to court over that…I was ticketed for not having them on a leash. The dogs had gotten out of their “room” because someone forgot to latch the door. BJ was apprehended by the doggy police and ended up in doggy jail. I went to court to fight the fines, I won but I still had to pay court costs which were more than the fines!

Anyway, BJ was a wonderful dog. He had his ACL operated on when he was 11. He hated the cone he had to wear.. he thought his brother Socks was laughing at him. Socks is a Corgi Beagle that we rescued from the local humane society when BJ was 6. BJ declined this fall, we finally had to face the fact that it was time to let him go. We decided over the weekend that we would take him in Monday morning.

He died in his sleep Sunday evening. I called the local funeral director (I’m a florist) to see if he knew where we could get him cremated. the place he recommended is actually owned by the vet we normally use. I’ve ordered an oak box for his ashes so we can keep them on the mantel. When my husband first gave me the book, I started crying when I read the dust cover. He kept asking me when I was going to read the book. I finally read it this weekend. I think I cried practically the whole time! It is a wonderful book and I am glad I read it… it was just painful to read! My heart goes out to the Levin family for their loss. the story of Sprite’s rescue & Griffin’s rescue is similar to our dog Steffie’s story but I will save that for another time. Thank you, mark for sharing your family’s story.

Kimberly from IL

“Rescuing Sprite” – Another Take. Mark: I’m in my 60’s and a military retiree. Just finished your book and, admittedly, was teary eyed at the end. About 15 yrs ago, my younger son wanted a Golden Retriever so we went to the Golden Retreiver Resue Society adoption in Silver Spring, MD. Thought we were going to get a puppy but an older dog drew our attention. “chester” as we called him, was a great dog- only people he barked at was our family: to go out,get in or eat. He was older than we first thought -probably 9 or 10. But for 3 yrs we had a wonderful companion. Great w/people.

Anyway he developed leukemia and we had to put him down. Sad day in our lives. This, then, is the other take on your book. I learned from Chester that dogs will do anything for their masters, even when in pain, They would probably walk thru fire if you asked them. They can’t tell you how much pain they are in but only want to please you. Thus, with Sprite, I think you held on too long. As I read the book I kept on thinking, were you making decisions in the best interests of Sprite or for the comfort you derived from him? I found myself hoping you would have acted sooner on his behalf primarily to alleviate his pain/discomfort ratther than your “pain” which I can certainly empathezise with. I felt your pain but I think I felt Sprite’s moreso. I don’t mean to offend but I hope you don’t take the same steps for Pepsi and Griffen when their quality of life is the same as Sprite’s.

Best Regards,

Rich from DE

My husband & I heard about you & Sprite on Rush Limbaugh. We know all too well what a loss of pet is like . Recently we lost our beloved Beagle, who was our “daughter.” She came into our lives a t 5 weeks old after my husband retired, for 10 years our lives were intertwined into a close, intimate bond, full of love, devotion, communication, she was like a person in so many ways.

She left a void in our lives but she also left us with a wealth that money cannot buy. She was a rare find jewel who made our life richer in so many ways. Our hearts are heavy with grief, and understand how you felt. It was hard to eat, sleep, and my stomach felt like it was upside down. We feel her loss down in our most deepest being.

Peggy from KY

I have a6 yr old part Siameese cat and have moved to a wooded recreational area. She was 80′ up a tree and I hired a climber to get her down after 6 days, couple weeks later she went up another tree 70′, after 17 days had her taken down, she’s back up on day 8. I’m getting frustrated!

Lin from WA

Thank you, Mark, for sharing your book, Rescuing Sprite, with us. I too, have dealt with having to say goodbye to dogs in my life. It has been very difficult and your book has aided me immensely with my past feelings of guilt. We currently have a 5 year old Golden Retriever, and he as our others, is truly a very big part of the family. Again, thank you for your wonderful book. What a great way to commemorate Sprite’s life!
All the best!

Bob from OR