I just finished reading your book about your beloved Sprite, and I felt compelled to send you a note.
I’m so glad that you told this story–I will tell you that I sobbed through many of the pages. But Sprites story needed to be told.

It has been 5 years since we had to put to sleep, Buster the bassett hound. My husband and I got him as a puppy when we first got married. He was my baby–I never loved an animal this much before. He followed me everywhere-from room to room. I “tucked” him in everynight-(he slept in our room on a fluffy dog bed)-I always would hold his face in my hands and tell him how much I loved him and kiss his face goodnight. These things may sound mundane to some-but I know you can appreciate these special moments.

Buster became ill right after Christmas one year. After several visits to the vet-and a misdiagnosis-I finally took him to a different vet to get another opinion. By this time, Buster had been bleeding internally-he had lost too much blood-even the specialist could not help him. It was the most agonizing day of my life to let him go. I still have guilt that I could have done more, sooner for him.

Robin from SC

I am writing for 2 reasons. The first is to tell you about my female Chow, Midnight, that I had to put down last year. She was almost 13 and I had raised her from 6 weeks of age. She was so old and had many health problems. Like you, every night I would pray that God would take her and spare me from making that decision but every morning I would get up and there she would be. It was devasting to lose her and I still miss her. I still have my Lab, Cisco, who is almost 13 years old. I have also acquired 2 Catahoula mixes, Hank and Hannah, who are brother and sister. They just turned 1 year in December.

The second reason I write to you is to tell you about what happened to my sister’s dogs this week. She lives in Tennessee. She has/had a Lab, Sissy (6 mos. old) and a Beagle, Peanut (4 mos. old). Well, her neighbor throws out food scraps and mixes it with Antifreeze to kill anything that gets in his yard. (They live in the country.) My sister’s dogs got into the food and were rushed to the vet the first of this week. The middle of the week, they had to put the Lab down. The Beagle is still hanging on and I am praying that she will make it. The Lab was given to my brother-in-law to replace the Chow he had to put down last year. He had never really gotten over that and now this has happened.

I had already read your book and on Christmas I gave it to my sister to give to her husband. At that time, I never realized just how badly they both would need your book. I can’t believe that some people are so evil. These dogs were like children and certainly did not know any better. I would not be able to stand it if someone did that to my dogs. Anyway, I drive 200 miles a drive and listen to you going home. I love your show and appreciate all you do for this country. God bless you and your family.

Debbie from TX

Today we put down our 14 year old Lab, Sandy. He was my wife’s “boy”. We live outsde of Fort Worth in a small town. I called the Vet early this morning and she was very compassionate with him. We all cried but knew his body was through with this life. We were able to bury him on our property in some woods he loved to roam around in.

It’s been a tough day, but your words rang in my ears and into my heart about the way people treat their pets. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your book and give copies to friends regularly. Thanks for the opportunity to share this with you. God Bless the work you and your family.

Mickey from TX

Mark, we have had special cats in the past but I must tell you re our story of our Little Kitty aka Minnie who was our baby and a very very Special Cat that we will never forget and will never be replaced. I adopted her from the District of Columbia Humane Assoc. She lived 22 years with us and had three lives.

Her first life she had disappeared for the day and I found she had one of her legs cuts up pretty bad and took her to vet immediately and was nursed back to health. From this time on she was an indoor cat.

Little Kitty’s second life she had disappeared again but this time for a two week period and my husband, John had spotted her coming home from work one evening her little six pound self jogging down the road about a mile away from our home in Crofton, Maryland at that time. I think someone tried to make her a permanent house guest but she had escaped and I am sure you have heard stories re dogs and cats finding their homes miles and miles away.

Little Kitty’s third and last life was that she had developed kidney disease and we were giving her 2 units of IV fluids in the neck six nights a week for about 3 1/2 years. She definitely loved us as much as we loved her and she didn’t want to leave us quite yet but when she had two seizures and with the second one she couldn’t get up but she tried and we knew it was time and rushed her to our fantastic vet Dr. Steve and I was with her when he put her to sleep. They all loved her at the vets and still to this day all the office staff still talk about her and what kind of remakable and special cat she was. Mark, she also had an article written about her in Cat Fancy magazine.

Lynn from MD

We had a black lab named Shadow for 14 years, before had to put her to sleep. It was the most difficult thing my wife and I ever had to do. Someone sent us a copy of the “Rainbow Bridge”, which we both cry when we read it. We did go to PetLoss.com, where we put a memorial to Shadow. In addition their is a brick on the walk to the NCSU Vet School, memorializing Shadow. Go to PetLoss.com to read the Rainbow Bridge. I was also a “Friends helping Friends” volunteer for 12 years at the Vet School, greeting and talking to the patients when they arrived for treatment.

Alan from NY

As an owner of several pets in my lifetime, i truly can connect and identify with Mark’s book. It is amazing to me how attached we become to animals, of all kinds.

A dear friend of mine suffered the loss of his dog, Lacy, and wrote about her in his newsletter. It touched me deeply, and I hope it touches all who read it as well. The article follows:
——————-
[b]Lacy[/b]
(1990-2007)

On July 21st I had my beloved cocker spaniel mix put to sleep. She was our family’s loving and faithful pet for 17 years. This is my tearful tribute to her.

I had two other dogs earlier in life (Tammy and Candy). I was not planning on having any other pets. But when my daughter Susannah was just a little girl she was terrified of animals – especially dogs. She would become frantic beyond reason if one was even in distant sight.

We traveled a lot at that time of our lives. Susannah’s fears made it very difficult for the entire family to go anywhere. Her agonizing question was always, “Will there be a dog there?” A question I hardly would know the answer to.

I thought she would outgrow this fear but she didn’t. In time I began to realize that the only remedy may be to acquire a family pet. We went to the Newport News SPCA on such a quest. On our very first trip, looking through the many cages of canines one stood out prominently to my heart.

She was unique among all the others that were there that day. The dogs were all barking, and pacing or pawing at the front of their cages. They appeared either to be defensive or vying for attention.

There was one exception. The dog that we would soon call Lacy was cowering in the back corner of her cage, trembling. She was obviously filled with fear over the whole experience. My heart immediately went out to her. What a match I thought; a timid and fearful dog for a fearfully timid little girl. Read the rest of this entry »