I recieved Rescuing Sprite for Christmas. My husband knows how I love to read animal stories. I cried through most of the book, but could not put it down. I always thought that no one loved their dogs as much as I did and do, but I am very wrong. Mark and his family do.

I had a wonder dog, Ginger for three years ten months and nine days. She was very ill when we adopted her and needed two major surgeries just to servive. We had a few real good years with her and she was the light of our lives. She became ill again and there was nothing that could be done and we had to put her to sleep seven weeks later. I was distrought over her lose, yet adpoted only a few days later. I think I was in shock at the time. Well Sallie Ann is now 10 years old, we got her at 1 1/2 years. She was abused and had some issues but has turned out great. She accepted another dog into our home nearly six years ago now. He is our boy Luke. I can’t explain what a joy he is.

Last year in Oct. we found out he had cancer and ended up having his left front leg amputated. I was so afraid I was going to lose him. it is over a year now and he is doing OK. Having a handicapped dog isn’t easy, but we would have it no other way. I want to thank Mark for writing this book and it is through tears now writing this about the everlasting love I have for my dogs that they really are a special gift from GOD. I hope that in Heaven God will recreate those special animals that were so much of our life here on earth, except this time they will be in perfect heath forever and always with us. Those who have never loved a dog or cat have really missed out on the extaordinary love they give to us.

Donna from PA

One day while walking from a parking lot down a wild trail I saw a cat laying under a tree, frighteningly thin (3 lbs.!) and unable to run away. I sat down nearby and talked softly to her and realized she was in very bad shape. I offered her a taste of my ice cream and she dragged herself by her front paws half into my lap.

Needless to say, I scooped her up and took her home. Being late, the vet’s office was closed so I made her a bed in a carrier for the night, rinsed her off and her fur washed right off her hind quarters completely. I wrapped her up and used an eye dropper to feed her chicken broth which she was barely able to swallow. The next day the vet determined she had a broken back, jaw, head trama that left her mostly blind, and FIV that gave her dementia and digestive problems. Miss Tetters, as I named her, still managed to be happy everytime I came near her and so grateful for a soft bed and food that I wanted to do what ever I could to make her last days comfortable. She lived 2 more years, was able to stand up and walk with a delicate wobble, and even jumped onto the couch to sit next to me whenever she could. She was so grateful and so brave I have never loved any creature more.

When the day came that I had to put her down it was clear she was suffering too much. I gave her a final meal of oysters and the ice cream she begged for ever since the first day we met. I buried her in a beautiful hat box, tucked into a soft blanket with a pearl (she was my pearl). Her trust and love were a great gift. Her courage a great lesson. I will never forget her.

Nancy from OR

About 5 years ago, around Father’s Day- My wife Teri and I were at the local flea market in Dalton, GA walking around. we people watch as much as shop. The regulars- the guys who come and set up at the usual table week after week, Leaving the “outskirts and dirt lot areas for the One shot guys- Someone selling the contents from their home, or what we enjoy- Seeing the farmers with the chickens and other smaller farm animals. We adopted a goat from one such dealer , It was someone’s pet at one point- He loved to be petted and was very friendly and outgoing. imagine my horror to see 2 guys from “Points Way south” trying to muster enough english to barter and bargain for this poor goat. I offered the original asking price-Showed cash and walked away with the poor soul (we still have “Mr. Bojangles”) this story is about another pet rescued on the day in question. He was seen in a little box, some dirty, booger faced kid with the Fan/Spray bottle over then “Keepin’ the critters cold” what her reason (the poor things were Hot, nothing to drink and she kept squirting them in the face!) And at the bottom of these poor souls I saw the runt, a little shock of white on his face- looking up with this hopeless “please rescure me from this” look.
Again, we paid cash and saved another poor soul from the wierdo’s at that flea market. they swore he was pure bread, they said he’d not be very big!

We were the proud(?) owners of a Vietnamese Pot belly Pig…We thought.

Pinky he was named for the patch of pink on his nose. He was active and housebroke quickly. about a week later, he got very ill, could hardly walk as if he was in horrible pain. i thought for sure we have to put him under, But the Vet said If I was willing to but the meds, the Vet would show us what to do. (He had arthritic Septecemia- a infection with arthritis symptoms) We had to give him Around the clock injections, But he pulled through and was doing OK- God knows he could EAT! Read the rest of this entry »

We adopted by chance a wonderful, scruffy, lilttle dog named Molly who was smarter by far than we were. She has since passed but we found a poem at an antique market called Tribute to a Dog. We framed it along with her picture. It’s a wonderful heartfelt poem and we have copied it, and after reading your book, we have added Sprite’s picture and would like to send it to you. How do we go about doing that?

Butch from NV

I received a copy of Rescuing Sprite for Christmas and finished reading it the same night. I can relate to the story from two perspectives…the first being as a rescue volunteer and foster mom. We devote our time to vetting and training our foster pups so they will have the best chance in finding their forever home. And the perfect forever home in my eyes in one like the Levin’s – a family who realizes that a dog is a lifetime commitment and will spare no expense to make sure the pup is happy and healthy until the end. The Levin family also deserves kudos for adopting pups that would (by most group’s standards) be considered “hard to place.” Good homes for older dogs are hard to come by, but when you find one, they’re always amazing.

My second perspective is as a dog lover…and as someone who lost a beloved pet almost exactly one year ago. Pepper was my husband’s dog when we married so the two of them had been together for almost 15 years when Pepper passed away last January. Pepper had battled mitral valve prolapse for the better part of his adult life and it eventually led to congestive heart failure. Like the Levins, we tried countless medications and therapies for Pepper, but in the end we made the difficult decision to have him humanely euthanized. We knew it was the right thing for Pepper…but that didn’t make the sorrow or the grief any easier for us to deal with. Like Pepsi, our dogs also mourned Pepper’s passing. I was amazed at how the death of one dog could change the entire dynamic of a household that rarely has fewer than seven dogs at any given time. Pepper’s death affected each of us differently, but all of us were affected profoundly.

To the Levin family: the rescuer in me thanks you sincerely for giving Sprite (and now Griffen) the life that every rescuer hopes for, and the life that every dog deserves. Animal rescue is all too often overlooked by people searching for a dog – I hope Sprite’s story changes that. The dog lover in me shares your sorrow and thanks you for sharing Sprite’s story with the world. 15 months or 15 years…it’s never long enough.

Godspeed sweet Sprite – I hope you’ve met Pepper on the other side.

Kristi from AL

Dear Mr. Levin,

I received your book as a Christmas present, and I read the whole thing in one sitting. I cried and cried, and I’m so sorry for your loss. I don’t even own a dog, but the book was given to me because of this:

I was driving home from the store one evening this past June. I noticed this beagle walking down the sidewalk. He was wearing a blue collar. He was alone. The thought crossed my mind that he might be lost/missing. This prompted me to check out our local missing ads. Sure enough, there was the ad complete with his picture on it. The dog had been missing since May 5.

I saw him several times over the summer. I won’t give you the whole looong story, but suffice to say, I became obsessed with getting him home. The problem was that he was very skiddish. If I even pulled the car over, he would run away.

The funniest sighting of him was when I saw him standing RIGHT NEXT TO THE TELEPHONE POLE WITH HIS MISSING POSTER ON IT! How defiant is that? I went through bags and bags of dog food, doggie treats, even raw hamburger, all of which I would throw out my car window when I’d spot him, hoping he’d associate my car with food. But he would run. I’d drive around and around the neighborhood. When I spotted him, I’d drive a way up the street, park my car, then walk back to that location, with my bag of food and a leash hanging over my shoulders. I’d hide behind trees. I’d call the owners on my cell phone to tell them that he was alive and well. They live about 25 miles away, so it was difficult for them to come every day. They got him (his name is Max) from a relative in Virginia. I think he had been abused and the relative rescued him. Why else would he be so skiddish? His owners had only had him for a month, and he hadn’t had the chance to get quite used to them. So, when they did spot him on their own searches, he wouldn’t come to them, either.

Two elderly women would see him in their back yards. I dropped off food for one of them. I wanted to keep him fed and in the area.

I spoke with one of the women a few weeks ago. Max hasn’t been seen in weeks. He would regularly come into her yard, she would put a dish of food out for him, he would take the entire dish to his secret hiding place, then return the emply dish. But he wouldn’t let her close enough to him to catch him. Now with winter here, I am worried about him. Read the rest of this entry »