My husband, Kevin is a great fan of Mr. Levin and even though I have never listened to his show, I have read “Rescuing Sprite.” I want to thank Mr. Levin for sharing his story as it is everyone’s story who has ever loved a dog. I received as a gift from my husband for Christmas and I was only a few pages in before I had to get a tissue and that’s how I finished it, with tissues in hand and tears flowing. It brought back all of my feelings of loss over every dog that I have lost over the years to old age or illness but it touched me most greatly over the loss of our Beloved Tika as we lost her only 6 months before Mr. Levin lost Sprite on July 6, 2006. We only had our Tika with us for a little less than 5 years and her death was very sudden. She had gone out to do her usual morning business, chased a cat from the yard, stopped at the edge of the property proud of her accomplishment and then suddenly she fell to the ground. At first, I thought she had slipped in the mud and was worried that she had hurt her legs (this was always a worry because she had pins in her front leg from an attack by an adult dog when she was only 3 months old, she had been through a lot of medical procedures before we adopted her from rescue when she was 6 months old).

She tried to get up and looked over her shoulder at me as if to say “Mommy, help me” and then lay her head on the ground. By the time I got to her, she was gone. Her death was almost more than my husband and I could bear but we also knew that she was all about love. Despite all that she had been through in her first 6 months of life, you would never have known it about her because everyone, two legged or four legged that she met was her best friend. She was a Rottweiler/Shepherd mix and her size at 128 lbs was rather intimidating at first for some folks but once they saw her do her “Tika Dance” she would win them over. She would wiggle her tail end so hard that we would worry that she would knock herself over but she never did. Tika was an angel on earth and she would want us to share all of the love that we had for her with another needy dog so that’s what we did.

On August 12, 2006, we brought home her little brother from a rescue group (Janet’s Rescue and Placements), another Rottweiler/Shepherd mix who we named Marco. Read the rest of this entry »

Hi Mark – I was given Rescuing Sprite for Christmas after having to put to sleep my 14 year old schnauzer September 1 (named Sammy Davis Schnauzer). I cried throughout the entire reading and then was reminded by you that I did give him a good life, I did give him lots of attention and I did care for him when he got old as best I could. I have not yet taken the leap of getting another dog, although my 3 kids want one and remind me every day that goldfish really don’t count. Thank you for a beautifully written and heartfelt story. Have a wonderful 2008.

Elana from NV

I bought RESCUING SPRITE for my wife at Christmas. Great book. For you, please access a poem by another dog lover, Rudyard Kipling, “The Power of the Dog.” We love dogs & now have two. Lost many great friends in the past & I always read Kipling’s poem afterwards. It helps!

John from NV

We found out 2 weeks ago my baby Buddha isn’t absorbing proteins any more and there is nothing we can do at this point. We have to put her to sleep today at 4:45 after 12 years. How in the world am I going to handle this? My kids and wife are utterly distraught. I’m sick, numb, depressed, I don’t know what’s going on. I’m supposed to be a man. I’m far from that at this point.

Mark from NY

Hi Mark

I enjoyed reading your book about sprite.  It made me cry. I wish i had met him. I Think your story about Sprite is important because people will realize that older dogs are good to have, and they will adopt them more often because most people want to have puppies or younger dogs…

I was born in Israel I always loved dogs all my life. In America dogs are very fortune at least most of them . It is a friendly loving dog society here. I remember when I grew up in Jerusalem my mom one day called an Arab handyman to our house but he didn’t want to come in because of the dog.
He said there is a dog in the house and it is unpure.

I respect everybody religion and understand where they come from. Also the religious orthodox jews don’t have dogs either, at least in Israel, and I can understand why having 7 to 10 children or more who has time for a dog?
I think that we dog lovers are very fortune to know this love. It is pure and unconditional and we are lucky to have it in our hearts. I am lucky to have my 10 ys old Julie a terrier mix.

I thank Hashem, God, for her. I also have two boys and i think that altough you have chiidren and you love them the most you can still love your dog very much. You can’t help it you get so attached to them.
I WISH IT WAS NOT LIKE what my Rabbi say. My Rabbi in Israel said that dogs don’t go to heaven they don’t have “Neshama” only Humans has it. That makes me sad. I realize that once my dog dies that ‘s it and I will never see her again. The Rabbi also said that it is a sin to elevate dogs to a humans level.

According to Judaism the only Mitzva or good deed that we require and obligate toward animals is not to be cruel to them. That’s it. Having a dog or a cat is not a Mitzva and will not give you any “extra points ” when you die.
But if you are cruel to an animal you will be accounted for it and it will be held against you. A MITZVA or doing good deeds is only between people. Any good deeds you do to others is consider a mitzva and you will be rewarded
for it. Not so for animals. There are many bad people who own a dog and take good care of it but they still bad people.
I know in my heart that God will reward me for taking such good care of my dogs.

ALL THE BEST
DAFNA from FL

Hi Dr. Levin!

I don’t have a photo to add at this time. I just finished reading your book and was so moved that I had to write. I love dogs and wanted one since the day I was born. When I was about 14 (around 1974) my parents finally broke down and bought me a beautiful little Keeshond puppy that I named Rocky. He was my joy. He went everywhere with me. He saw me through the death of my mother when I was 16. I stayed home to go to college so I wouldn’t be apart from him. Rocky endured 11 of the 13 years I was a Baltimore City police officer. He welcomed my new boyfriend, Jeff, and eventually my husband (now of 20 years) who was a Lt. with the Baltimore Police Department. He comforted me through the time in ’88 when my husband was shot in the line of duty and helped Jeff through his recovery. He even lived for a time with us in our new home.

In 1989, Rocky’s arthritis got so bad that he couldn’t sit, stand, or walk. He wasn’t eating and was so miserable that I finally made the decision to end his misery. I felt I was holding on to him for myself and not really thinking of his comfort. My guilt still sits with me, because at the time I didn’t know I had the option of cremation or whatever and let the vet dispose of his body. I regret that to this day. I try to take comfort in his memory and the good life he had.

Jeff and I and our 2 kids Walker (16) and Lizzie (14) now have an 11 year old fat little beagle named Tillie. She is the light of all our lives. Quite different than my Rocky. It is amazing how you can quickly love another dog so strongly, still missing the lost one, but feeling the void filled. Thank you for your book!

Ann from MD