I just finished reading Rescuing Sprite. It was difficult for me as I just lost my beloved German Shepard mix, Harley, on September 6, 2007. Harley had just turned 13 years old and we had him since he was a puppy. His story resembled Sprite’s in so many ways.

Out of the blue, Harley had two massive seizures. These seizures left him weak, but he was still able to walk at first. We took Harley to a neurologist and had an MRI. The doctor discovered that Harley had a brain tumor located very close to his central nervous system and spine. Due to the location of the tumor and Harley’s age, the doctor didn’t think that Harley would survive surgery to remove the tumor. At first, I tried to stay positive and was probably in denial thinking that we would get through this. Over a six- day period, Harley went down hill fast. When he got to the point that he could not walk and his poor little legs would buckle under as we tried to carry him outside to do his business, I knew in my heart it was time to say goodbye. We put our beloved Harley to sleep while we held him in our arms whispering how much we loved him and stayed with him until he took his last breath.

I too was faced with wondering over and over again if I made the right decision. I kept thinking that maybe we missed some medication or some type of therapy even though the vet told me there was nothing more we could do for Harley. I struggled with knowing that I made the decision that ended my Harley’s life. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Mark:

The sweet part of this story is at the end, I hope you have time to read my e-mail. Thanks for all you do!!

My daughter has recently been dealing with many sad issues concerning her two dear dachshund friends of 15 years, Ruby and Crosby. For several months she and her husband have been struggling with the issue of whether to put Ruby down. I gave them a copy of your book as I felt it would help them get through this hard decision. Ruby has back issues that had rendered her unable to walk. She is still attentive and right at your heels when she hears you in the kitchen. Unable to take that ultimate move they have treated her with holistic medicines, acupuncture and even the wheels on her back legs. They have been assured that she is in no real pain. Amazingly, she is now able to walk without the wheels and has made some incredible improvement. She and her brother Crosby have been great friends to each other, to my husband and daughter and finally to my three grandchildren especially Matt 5 ½ and Abby 2 ½.

Sadly, over the holidays, Crosby, who was in very good physical health, was hit by a car. They were here at my home in Illinois, and on the morning they were returning to their home they received a call from their barn manager (she has a horse farm) that Crosby had been killed. He had never wandered away ever; he loved visiting the barn and had a little route that he followed when he was outside. Read the rest of this entry »

I am a dog lover deluxe. I have poodles that I show in conformation and obedience shows, but my first love and still are mutts. My precious Cotton was 15 when I lost him. He was a cocker/golden mix. I also had to make the decision to let him go and that is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. My old girl now is a 13 year old cocker mix and she is starting to age…. I’m am so dreading losing her.

Christie from NM

Thank you Mark for showing us this side of your life!

Ft. Benning, GA: Our son’s wonderful ol’ hound, Jessie is hugged by children whose fathers are in Company formation waiting for deployment to Iraq, many for second and third combat deployments. He’s a nine year veteran. Like all of his dogs, she was rescued from a shelter, he believes in giving an unfortunate pooch a good life, says that he is the one blessed by them. In poor health and a bit older than most, Jessie was nursed back to health, they were always together.

A familiar scene on base on and off duty at Ft. Benning, Jessie was a friend to all, a virtual magnet to children who’s hearts were hurting.

We brought her home during this deployment and we enjoyed her more than words can convey, like Mark’s Sprite.
On Dec. 7th, Pearl Harbor Day in the wee hours she died with my wife and I stroking her and telling her what a good dog she was. We had her on meds for a congestive heart condition but it apparently was far worse than we knew. She raised her head one last time to attempt to look at us and slipped away. Needless to say, our Christmas was over, it was all we could do to function, knowing that we also let down our son so far away and the only comfort was that Jessie died with two old folks that dearly loved her. Daily walks, rides to the post office, belly rubs had all come to an end, our sweet tail wagging friend who had comforted us so much during hard moments in our son’s deployment was gone.

Of course, he was crushed but he was concerned about his aging mom and dad too, said to hold on, he’d find another special friend–he has a knack for sure but that’s a long time away. Like Mark, we have a hard time going in an animal shelter without coming out with 50 dogs but we’ll see, we need a little more time though. Jessie’s dog tag that reads “PFC Jessie” and “Hooah!” (after all, she was a soldier’s dog you know) hangs from the picture frame with one of our favorite photos of her along with two other friends under a special gift my wife made, three framed photos suspended under a long bone that reads “Good Dogs”, and they sure were…

Ron from TX

Dear Mark,
I hope it’s ok to tell you about my cat Miko(Meeko). I had him for about 5 years, and i did’nt like cats when i got him, but, eventually he grew on me always wanting to be close and greeting me with purring and rubbing. one thing that brought us closer was he always liked to lay on or next to me when i would go to bed, nuzzling his face into My neck.

I got married in april 2007. He loved my wife just as much.He was the most affectionate kitty i’ve ever been around. On January 14 2008 he was having trouble breathing so we brought him in to the vet and the diagnoses was a tumor in his neck to close to the artery to do surgery, The breathing, rapidly got worse we had to put him down(jan 15 2008 7:45 pm). It went very fast.

You are so right humans get the better end of the deal. He meant so much to me. The last 72 hours have been very hard on my wife and i. I never thought i would be so attached and i cant stop crying and i dont cry about anything, I have a picture on my phone of him and wish you could see him, he was a beautiful siamese. But now he is in kitty heaven probably sleeping on the bed(his favorite place to be). right before he left us he nuzled his head between my wife and i , I think a gesture to say “its okay I love you guys”. Thanks mark, for letting me tell you about my buddy Miko.

Troy from CO

Tori was a beautiful female Golden Retriever. My wife got Tori when she was 12 weeks old, although by the time I met my wife, Tori was six years old. Tori was a real beauty both inside and out, and it wasn’t long before I started taking Tori to my office every day. For six and a half years, she was my “little friend” at work and at home. I can’t even describe the bond that we formed and the connection we had over those years. She was extremely mischievous and a shameless thief and beggar.

Back in 2004 when Tori was 10 years old, we got a German Shepherd pup named Maxine. As an “only child” it took Tori about three weeks to adjust, but after that Tori and Maxine formed a very special bond. The most wonderful thing was how Maxine’s arrival rejuvenated Tori, and reignited her puppy spirit. I think those years might have been the best of her life.

In March 2007, I noticed that I would have to call Tori for breakfast. I realized it was a little out of character because she was always ready for her food. She would eat, but at a slower rate than normal. My wife and I watched her very closely for the next week or so. We thought that it might be painful for her to get up as she was beginning to suffer from arthritis, or it might be that the dry food was painful for her aging teeth. We decided to take her to the vet to get her checked out. The vet performed x-rays of her hind quarters and discovered that the arthritis was in her spine, and suggested that would slow her down. Tori received an injection in her spine and new arthritis prescription. That night when we took her home Tori was back to her mischievous self again. Read the rest of this entry »