Dear Mark,
Today is the day I will be saying goodbye to the most incredible being I have ever known, my 10 year old Boxer, Cuba. This is by far the hardest thing I have every had to go through, I think even harder than hearing my cancer diagnoses. It feels as though my heart will break in half, I don’t know what it will be like “not” to see him when I come home, not to feel his ears between my fingers, or to see that look of pure love in his eyes.

I know you know along with many others that our dogs are special to us. Cuba has touched my life so deeply but now it is time to give him back to his creator.

God Bless.

T.L. from FL

Attached is my favorite photo of my heart pupper Annie with my new puppy Sophie (now 7 years old). I lost Annie to cancer 3 years ago, part of my heart. Sophie is now my heart pup and best friend. We have just moved from Seattle, WA, to Lyme, CT, and are enjoying our new life on 10 acres in this most beautiful place to live.

Joan from CT

Read your book on 12/7. Fabulous emotional read. Have had many dogs and cats. 5 cats now. Lost cat Woody a Maine Coon 5 years ago. It was like Spritey.
Have bought and given away 5 books!

Thanks.

Carl from NY

Dear Mark,

Just read your book about Sprite and it felt like I was there with you until his passing. A GREAT book. I felt the same way again since our bog passed away two years ago. Her name was Tabitha and we had her for 15.5 years before we put her to sleep.

She was suffering from arthritis in the hips and mini strokes. At the end she couldn’t even walk down the stairs to the yard and couldn’t keep her bowels regular. She had alot of fatty tissues around her whole body and she was going into renal failure so we had to do the humane thing.

A few months later we had to put our cat Kitty down also due to renal failure and weight loss.
We keep them both on our shelf in our bedroom. We have another dog Susie who is almost blind and deaf and she is also 15.5 years old and we will put her down soon but am not looking forward to it.

I will know for sure that when I die then Tabitha and Kitty will be waiting for me in Heaven playing with your dog Sprite.

God bless you.

Leonard from TN

Dear Mark,

I have composed this email so many times in the middle of a sleepless night, and it was never good enough so I never sent it. But now I think it is the time, good or bad, for whatever it is worth.

I am a 39 year old Christian, married, stay at home, animal loving (but sadly not vegetarian), homeschooling, conservative Republican, MBA-educated, Hannitized, successful Internet business owning, mother of three. I have worked hard for a long time and I have strong views that I keep to myself for the most part, because I left out that I am non-confrontational. Not a good combination, I know.

I have two major issues right now. First, for the last 16-1/2 years I have had my beautiful sheltie Kirby (named after Kirby Puckett and I can’t believe he outlived him) to be with me through the good and the many hard times. Last year I had to have his 12-year old best friend Kandy put to sleep when she was near death and our talented veterinarian had done everything possible to save her. She was my heart and soul and I thought I was dying when I lost her. Nobody understood. Let me just say that you are SO lucky to have Kendall there with you to understand. She is a Godsend. I was completely alone in this other than God pulling me through.

Kirby is not doing very well now (he is my Pepsi) and I read Rescuing Sprite (per Hannity) on New Year’s Day from 1:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m., because I knew I would cry and I wanted to read it while my kids were sleeping. I can’t tell you what a blessing it was to me to find that there was someone else who had the depth of emotion I had about their animal companions(I was always afraid it was bordering on idolatry). Animals are what make life on this earth bearable, as well as our children of course, but animals’ love is unconditional just like God’s. I think that’s why He gave them to us. I am wrestling with Kirby’s final days now as he is having seizures periodically and is almost blind and deaf. Read the rest of this entry »

I just finished your book tonight and was moved beyond words. I too had to put my best friend Yankee Boy to sleep on December 3, 2007. He got his cute name since he was born on the fourth of July, 1994. He had been battling Cushings Diease for the past four years and has been a trooper through it all. I must thank Dr. John Kaya of the University VCA for being such a compasionate and understanding doctor. He’s helped us so much through it all and we are forever grateful. He always took the time to explain all of our options and was always willing to answer all of our questions.

I also want to thank Mark Levin for writing this book. I felt all the guilt and feelings that you felt too. It’s so reassuring to know that we are not alone and there are others who share the same feelings.

My husband has decided to bring another joy into our lives. His friend’s dog just had puppies and he’s looking for good homes for the pups. I already picked out my new pup who will join our family next month. Yankee will forever be in my heart. I love and miss him dearly.

BJ from HI