I’m a retired weekly newspaper editor-publisher and have written a personal column for 40 years. This one received more reader response than anything else I have ever written.

Saying Goodbye to Dinkum

I went home from work Tuesday evening for the first time in many, many years without the expectation of seeing Dinkum peering out our front door, patiently waiting for my arrival. She knew my schedule better than I did and hardly ever failed to be at her station just inside the glass-paned door. Sometimes, when I stopped by during the day, she’d be in another part of the house. But in the evenings– hardly ever.

Our daily walks down Wheeler Lane have been a ritual for going on 17 years. The weather or season didn’t matter. I got just as much pleasure — probably more, to tell the truth —slipping into rain gear and slogging toward Cumberland Mountain through a monsoon with her.

As she got older, our walks grew shorter… and slower.
But they continued. Until Tuesday.

I first set eyes on Dink, an Australian shepherd, when she was just a ball of black and white and tan fluff sitting at the bottom of a grocery bag. Julia had asked me to bring in some groceries for her, and when I reached into the back of the van there she was, all big brown trusting eyes and fur, head cocked to one side, looking up at me. Instant love!
We went through obedience school together. She was a good student… made me look good. Read the rest of this entry »

Mark,
I just had to send this to you after reading your book “Rescuing Sprite” and I could not put it down until I finished. I have to tell you there were times I could not see the pages for crying so much. Your story touched my heart so much I am so sorry for your loss.

I have attached some photos of my two babies I have now and an email I sent to a website call “Blind dogs.com. I will get more into that later, first I wanted to tell you about my sweet girl Buffy that I lost in 1999.

On May 24,1990, I went to a Mary Kay makeup party and left with this cute little ball of fur that I did not plan to come home with. The lady hosting the party had just gotten a new puppy about a month before from a puppy mill. Well I said something about I would love to have an inside dog for myself as I have never had one.. Growing up we always had the outside dogs. Buffy was only a couple of weeks old and did not have her teeth yet. She was in terrible shape.. She had a eye infection, worms and they had cut her tail off and it was infected badly.. Needless to say we reported the dog mill and had them shut down. She only weighed one pound and so fragile, but I nursed her back to health and had her for 10 short years. I live alone and it was just her and me and I cannot explain to anyone the special bond we had with each other. The ladies where I worked at that time gave me a puppy shower because I never had children. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, I grabbed a book to read while waiting for a doctor’s appt, the book was “Rescuing Sprite” and I cried for Mark Levin and his family, for Sprite and for my own families loss of our beloved Katie Jayne.

I was in a Pet Smart store one Saturday to buy dog food for yet another dog someone couldn’t wait to get rid of, our little Sugarberry and the local SPCA was there with adoptable dogs and cats, I had no intention of bringing a dog home and every logical thought would have told me not to even consider it but I saw this dog…. While everyone was looking at the puppies and kittens, this black lab mix sat quietly in the pen watching and I never saw such a sweet face or kind eyes on a dog and she grabbed my heart so fast my brain just didn’t catch up. She was six months old, was found in a ditch, she was underweight, had a bowel infection and soon to be put down. When she was taken out of the pen she got in my lap and laid her head on my shoulder and I knew we needed each other. I named her Katie Jayne because she looked like a Katie and because my friend Jayne would laugh at having my dog named after her.

We bought the vet. a new Buick that year but Katie’s health improved and I have never owned a dog so devoted and loving. Katie appreciated and loved being owned and part of our family, From the moment I brough her home she never roamed away from her yard, I honestly doubt that stampeding stallions or the Marine Corp could have driven her away. Read the rest of this entry »

Our one year old german shepard died from sinus cancer. He died 6 weeks after our 27 year old daugher died from a car accident. Although there is nothing in this world that can compare to losing a child, our dog was so loving and so young it was like we had lost two of our children. We found out he had cancer a week after our daughter’s funeral. I did not understand how God could be so cruel taking away the ones we love.

I had thought the same as your wife, our current dog (6 years old) must need a friend so we brought Cody home. He was so loving and at one year, 90 pounds, he still wanted to sit on your lap or lay in bed with you on a pillow. Our daughter was closer to our older dog but when she died she must have needed Cody so she took him to be with her. I wish there was a way I could send you a short story I wrote about our daughter. We all find ways to help us get through the pain.

Kay from WA

Mark,

I just wanted to say that this book was so wonderful. It made me think about all of the great years that I had with my childhood Golden Sammy. He was the most well-mannered, even tempered dog anyone would ever meet. I miss him terribly and he’s been gone for over 6 years. Thank you for sharing your memories and wonderful family moments with your readers and listeners. God Bless,

Natalie from CA

This is “Misti” she came into my life from “Second Chance Rescue”, she was in bad shape when she was found . Her rescuers thought maybe she had been a “puppy mill mom”. She was so shy and scared that it took her a year before she would even run and play. She is the love of my life. I have always had dogs in my life and each one makes a special place in my heart.

I finished reading your book tonight and as I sat thinking about the story and drying my tears.. Misti came over, jumped up in my lap and licked my face. That;s what it is all about! Thank you for putting the spotlight on the rescue organizations and humane societies. There are so many great dogs that need homes. Thank you for adopting older dogs (Misti was 5 now she is 11) they are the last to find homes. If you haven’t already.. look up the poem “Rainbow Bridge” it is very comforting.
Take care.

MaryKay from MN