Mark,
Your book was wonderful! I felt that you were “talking to me” as I turned the pages. Amid the tears and smiles, loving memories of our 13 year old, cinnamon colored, cocker spaniel swirled through my mind. Muffin went to Doggie Heaven a year and a half ago – we think of him every day and think that we were so fortunate to have his love and friendship.

I really enjoy hearing you talk about your “friends” as I drive home from work; and of course, the world info too.

Oh, also, thanks for recommending “My Grandfather’s Son”. I haven’t finished it yet, but Clarence Thomas is a remarkable man.

Judy from TX

Mr. Levin,
Thank you for the opportunity to share our story and for writing such a beautiful book.

At the age of 9, Argus our beloved, retired greyhound was diagnosed in May with multiple myeloma and received a new drug therapy as part of a clinical trial at Colorado State University Veterinary Cancer Center. Argus was enjoying life, his cancer was in remission and we were looking forward to many more months of good health. He was even back to romping in the yard with our other greyhound, Meerkat.

Mid-October Argus’ cancer came back and we decided to try traditional chemotherapy since the promising experimental drug had apparently failed after three months of remission. The cancer seemed to come back stronger than ever, the drugs were not working and so early on morning of November 9th we let Argus cross the Bridge to be at peace and pain free.

You always second guess yourself and wonder if you’ve made the right decision when you ease your beloved pets to whatever lies ahead. My vet at CSU offered this insight as she comforted me and Argus; she said “I’ve never had an owner tell me they made the decision too soon, but have had many tell me they waited too long.” Read the rest of this entry »

I just bought 3 copies of your book. I just need you to know I relate. This is a pic of Ezekiel as a kitten. He gave me 11 years of joy. I had to put him down because of major tumors. After all the tests, I think I should have just put him down. It would have been a lot less stressful for him and us. Thank you for the book. I bought 3. Spread the word.

God Bless,

George from NJ

Mark,

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading “Rescuing Sprite”. It brought out so many emotions in me. I laughed and I cried.

I wanted to tell you the story of the Dexter dogs. My husband and I are long time dog rescuers who, over the years, have been responsible for placing many dogs into wonderful homes. My dogs were my life and my children. As the type of pet owner we all hope to be, we took considerable care in making sure our pets never were a bother to anyone or to our neighbors.

On September 12, 2006, while my husband, Jim, was on a business trip, I woke up to find one of our 7 dogs dead in bed and one in a coma. I rushed the two dogs, Fred and Ginger (Yorkshire Terriers) to Red Bank veterinarian at 6:00am. Ginger was already dead and Fred was very ill. A few of our dogs had been vomiting on and off for several days but our vet had no idea what was causing it. Until now.

Fred died at the clinic and Jim took an early flight home from his business trip in time to be with our other dogs at the clinic. Blue, a Dachshund/Jack Russell mix also died that day. Just a few weeks earlier we lost our senior border collie mix, Smudgy, but Smudgy had cancer and it was assumed he died as a result of his disease. This would turn out not to be the case. The cause of death for Fred, Ginger and Blue was antifreeze poisoning that someone had mixed with hamburger meat and placed in our yard, while Smudgy died from rat poison that someone intentionally placed in our yard.
Our remaining three dogs were taken in to the clinic where they were all tested and our two Dachshunds, Schatzel and Norman, both tested positive for ethylene glycol in their systems as did Sassafras, our Newfoundland mix. Although they appeared to be “ok” Norman was showing signs of kidney failure and Schatzel’s blood work was guarded. Sassy, a Newfoundland mix suffereds some kidney and neurological damage. All three dogs were given the antidote they use to try to counteract the effect of the ethylene glycol and remained at the clinic until they were well enough to come home.
We faced going home to an empty house and it was extremely emotional and painful. Not see the happy faces of our beloved dogs and knowing we’d never see four of them again was heart wrenching and a blow to our heart that was all consuming.

The police and media arrived and information was taken and interviews with the media were given by my husband. I could not get out of bed for 3 days; I was so devastated. Our story appeared in many papers and on the news and it was hoped that the person who did this would be found.
The devastation I feel from losing my precious babies has been inconsolable. These innocent dogs died because of a cruel, sick person who had no soul. Read the rest of this entry »

15 years ago I found a creature who turned out to love me as very few creatures could. I found 4 kittens and a mother cat beside my mother’s house. Not wanting 4 more strays in the neighborhood, I took all five to the vet, had the mother cat fixed and released her but kept the 4 kittens. We bottle fed the kittens for several weeks till weaned and eventually found homes for all but one.

This brings me to my story. I tell this as I cannot bare the thought of loosing one memory of this special creature. We decided to keep her mainly because she was so ugly she was cute, she was a tortoise shell calico, all dark and muddy in color, but I came to see her beauty. She from the beginning gravitated to me, and loved me as if I was her dad.

As a kitten my wife Patti taught her, when you said “do the baby thing” and she would roll over on her back and let you rock her in your arms, as you would a child. We commented often that she did not know she was a cat, because of the way she slept; in between Patti and I flat on her back with her head on my pillow. Read the rest of this entry »

Today we had to put my beloved Great Dane Shiloh to sleep after being part of our family for 10 1/2 years. She would LOVE to watch Animal Planet and could clear a coffee table with her tail when she saw an animal on TV. She always thought she was a lap dog and was MY dog until the end. She said goodbye to me at 2am this morning when I went out to check on her, and I knew she needed to go. My first baby…I always say, and I will love her and miss her always!

Sarah from CA