I am just about finished with your book about Sprite. What a joy for you to have had a dogs love. I too had a very special dog named Dixie. She was a very abused, almost dead, dalmation that stole my heart. I had 7 fantastic years with her. She understood more english than most people and was better behaved than most peoples kids. She had a repertoire of 20 different tricks (I taught them to her to restore her spirit) and would sell out for a piece of cheese. I will miss that dog til my dying breath. A more loving or loyal companion would be impossible to find. She had this stare…and she wouldn’t quit til you gave in and gave her what she wanted. She won every time.

I now do rescue for Saints with the National St Bernard rescue foundation. Education is our only hope. To educate the backyard breeder into not raising more problems. We have enough dogs…we just need to take care of the ones already here. Everyone should know the gratitude of a rescued dog, not to mention the unconditional love. No finer a love to be found. Thanks,

Cheryl from WA

Thank you for such a lovely book I lost my border collie last may who was 14 years old the most loyal,faithful and loving dog in the world we all miss him so much but on new years day my husband bought me a 9 week old border collie and within hours he made my house a home again which I thought was not possible. Barney will always be close to my heart for the rest of my life and now I have Marley I feel I can become happy again so thankyou again for such a lovely book which helped me a lot to know other people really do care for their dogs as much as I did.

Sue from England

Dear Mark;
Thanks for writing such a great book. We lost our dog Holly within a few weeks of reading it. Following is an e-mail we sent to all of our family members the same day Holly passed on.

Hello everyone;
I just wanted everyone to know that at approximately 10:30 AM today we put Holly down for her final rest. It was very sad. Her health had been deteriorating for about 6 months. This morning she could no longer get off her bed. Noreen and I carried her on her bed into the car for the 10 minute ride to the vet’s. We then carried her into the vet’s office the same way. We had to wait approximately 30 minutes before the vet could see her. During this time we noticed that she was in a lot more pain, but was comfortable on her own bed.
When it was our turn we carefully dragged her bed down the corridor and into the examination room. The vet who was very patient and kind examined her. He told us what we feared we already knew. She had advanced arthritis, hip displeasure and a very hurt shoulder from a fall last night. Additionally the vet discovered that her heart rate was very low concluding that she had additional problems and did not have much time anyway.
We agreed that it was time to let her go. The vet gave her a strong sedative and said that he would be back in 15 minutes. During this time Noreen gave Holly as much love as anyone possibly could by holding her and talking to her while I gave both of them support. When the time came Holly was already asleep hopefully dreaming of times when she and Noreen had their favorite moments down the shore. She left comfortably in Noreen’s arms and on her own bed. Read the rest of this entry »

Hi,

My brother recently founded a social networking site for dogs, DogTime.com. He and a group of guys have spent most of the last year and a half trying to get it off the ground. On Friday, they finally got a break with trying to get people interested in the site. They were given an exclusive on the outcome of Michael Vick’s dogs. They were allowed to post several videos of each of the dogs that were rescued from Vick. You can visit the site to see the videos and/or click here for the CNN piece. The site isn’t trying to get some publicity because of Vicks actions. They care very much about dogs and have followed the case closely.

Thanks!
Colton from CT

We put my beloved black and white Springer Spaniel down yesterday. She had bladder cancer and had been in pain for sometime. Her pain is gone now but mine is just beginning. I am so overwhelmed with grief that I needed to share my story with someone who could relate. She was a part of my life for 12 1/2 years and not having children of my own she was like my child. She never got to the point where she couldn’t walk so seeing her walk into the vet’s office only to be put to sleep is heartbreaking. Seeing here lying there lifeless is an image I can’t erase out of my mind. Thanks for listening.

Sincerely,

Carol from CO

I just finished reading “Rescuing Sprite” and loved the book….having known the pain of losing a loving companion the book really hit home for me. I lost my sweet Nugget in Oct. of last year. How it broke my heart. I have four other dogs but the house immediately felt empty without her. It is amazing how dogs get into your heart and soul and become an important part of our lives. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks for your story and for giving Sprite a loving home to the end.

Deb from UT