There were so many mornings when he could literally make me smile before I even opened my eyes! All he had to do was cuddle up next to me and press his sweet face against mine! His touch and smell would instantly melt my heart! I am married to a handsome, sweet and wonderful man, yet he is not the one I am talking about. I am talking about the nine-pound Yorkie, Skip we rescued just over three years ago. We came across him on the Internet.
The woman at the rescue organization explained to us that he had been rescued from a home where nearly 40 other dogs were living. She said that he and a little Maltese were the only small dogs in the home. She believed that he had never had a bed to sleep on and that his meals had consisted only of random table scraps. His previous owners called him Scatter, although he did not answer to that name. She sent us a picture of this poor little guy over e-mail and we fell in love.
Several days later, we got into the car with our spitfire of a Yorkie, Chevy and headed off to pick up our new boy! We wondered how Chevy; the queen of the house would adjust to having a new friend around. My husband is a huge fan of the University of Oklahoma, so we had decided we would name this new dog Boomer. However, upon meeting him we immediately knew that Boomer was not a fitting name for this dog. He was friendly, but also timid and shy and very skittish. We understood why he might have been called Scatter at one time. We would have to reconsider a new name for this boy.

He willingly settled into the car with us, right on my lap to head to his new home. Chevy was very curious, but didn’t seem too upset by this new addition. Fairly soon into our return home, we decided that Skip would be a perfect name for this very loveable dog. We had both watched the movie My Dog Skip and felt like that was a very fitting name for him. When we arrived home, Skip curled up comfortably on the blue fleece blanket we had purchased just for him. Read the rest of this entry »

Growing up in a rural section of southeast Missouri, stray dogs were common. Most were unapproachable, but one in particular attached himself to our family. My parents, as good parents, warned us against “making friends” with the dog. But of course, us being kids, we slowly wore down that warning to start with secreting table scraps out for him to eat. It took some time, but over a few months, he became a full member of the family, with parent approval. We named him Sampson. He was a medium sized dog, mature dog, white with large light brown spots. Never knew what breed or breeds he was. It didn’t matter; he was just one of the family for the next eight years.

Back in those days, where we lived, you didn’t put a dog on a leash or worry about things like that. Didn’t need it. Sampson never wondered far from the front door unless to take a walk with one of us. Every morning he was there with his tail up, ready to run and play. Every day when we were dropped off from school, he was there, waiting by the pecan tree. As I grew older, and started to hunt and fish, Sampson was an able companion. Never did a day of training, yet he just instinctively knew how to drive a rabbit or flush a covey. Or at least it seemed that way to a 15 year old kid. And I always rewarded him for the help.

I learned a lot from that dog. I learned first and foremost responsibility, when caring and feeding him. I learned teamwork while hunting with him. And importantly, I learned that there was more to life than just money or material things. I will always remember when he passed, looking into those old, tired eyes. He wanted so bad to go out and play one more time, but the body was not able. I know that at some point in the afterlife, my brothers and I will get a chance once again to play with Sampson.

Craig from VA

I SO much enjoyed your book. I have a border collie mix ..her name “Spanky” …she has saved my life on several occasions …I left a pan on my stove and she woke me up to alert me to the burning pan…another occasion is that I discovered I have sleep apnea and she noticed my breathing was different and woke me up. It’s amazing how smart this little dog is. She’s my best friend (I’m single) and the love of my life.

This book has made me more aware to enjoy these precious years I have with her…these little angles won’t be around for a long time and your book has made me appreciate the time I have with her and to take good care of her and enjoy her. Thank you Mark for witing such a heartwarming book. We need pets …they keep us young not to mention loved. Merry Christmas and a JOYFUL new year!

Susan from TX

Dear Mark,

Enjoy your show and read your book, Rescuing Sprite. Here’s a photo of Caitlin Cuddle Counts (Cati). Not a real manly dog by any means (I’m 6′ 3″ and 200 lbs). But she was my best friend for nearly 14 years. She loved camping, fishing and just being my pal. I miss her very much. Keep up the good work and lets get this country of ours back.

Regards,

Harvey from CA

Click here to listen to Rush Limbaugh talk about Mark’s book.

The Atlanta Weimaraner Club Rescue is a non-profit organization made up of Weimaraner enthusiasts and owners in the Atlanta area. Our group provides for the rescue, care, and adoption of lost, surrendered and homeless Weimaraners. (we have saved over 45 dogs this year) The funds for the rescue program are raised through various fundraising events and donations. Weim Country ‘08, our next fundraising event set for May 10, 2008, will be an evening of fun to benefit rescue efforts. We will be holding a live auction and a silent auction and are currently seeking donations for these.

We are desperately seeking a celebrity of your status and with your love of dogs to either host our event, become a sponsor for our event, make a monetary donation or at the very least, provide us with a signed copy of your wonderful book.

I hope that you can help us. Sincerely,
Debbie Rodgers, President
Atlanta Weimaraner Club Rescue (H) 770-971-6104 (c) 404-323-8346

I am attaching a picture of one of the dogs that we rescued. His name is Teddy. He was found tied to a shelter’s stairs with a rope embedded in his neck and malnourished. Today, Teddy is a beautiful, healthy dog in a forever home because of the great work our group does.

Debbie from GA