This is not a story, but a very special prayer. I believe that prayer doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. This prayer is not of my creation, but I remember reading it somewhere. “Dear Lord, please help me to be the kind of man that my dog thinks I am.” Anyone who has ever owned a dog can attest to the true meaning of unconditional love. My dog showed me what that truely meant. Thank you for the opportunity to share this with the world.

Charlie from TX

Your book has helped me move along in my grieving process after losing my best friend, Prince, earlier this year. He was an old Cocker Spaniel that I saved as a puppy and fully intended for him to be my daughter’s first dog. But Prince had other ideas. I guess he liked the way I played ball and fetch more than my daughter and went on to adopt me. During his life, this dog became a central character in our family and I believe that he knew it. When he was a few years old my mother became sick and I moved her in with us.
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An hour ago I had to put my little dog, Ricky Bear down. Ricky was like a child to my husband and I who have no children. He was also the mascot to The RUSH LIMBAUGH Fan Club of the Greater Spring Lake Area a role he served with distinction.! I am crying while writing this because it is such a great lost!
Your words and shared experience have helped prepare me for the seperation. As RUSH said, our pain is great because our happiness was so great!
Love you and all on talk radio!

Donna from NJ

Hello Mark. My beautifull little cat “Daphne” has nasal cancer. At first the lump was small but through the weeks it has grown drastically. Life is no longer fun for her. I am putting Daphne to sleep tonight at 6pm. It is so hard to be at work today. My heart is breaking. She is blonde and white, very small and is about 11 years old. I rescued her as a kitten from a park by my house. It seems so long ago. I know when I fall alseep tonight she will not be there. I am very sad. You don’t know me, but you will be with me as I do this last act of love for my little girl. Must go as I cannot stop crying. Thanks you for caring Mark.

 Janet from NJ

PS I hope Sprite will be waiting for her as she crosses the Rainbow Bridge tonight.

Thou you’ve gone from view,
there is a new,
Crape Myrtle tree that stands,
In memory of your time with me, and all that made you Grand.
You’re in our hearts, and there you’ll stay-
Until we meet our end.
The image of your precious face, I know we’ll see again.
The time with you was much too short, and seems to be unfair-
But, yet, somehow you’ve changed our lives,
and made us more aware-
That life is what we make it,
and each day is such a gift,
So, THANKS our precious Spritey for leaving us with this.

Dear Mr Levin and family,

Please do not be ashamed or embarrassed by shedding tears in public over your beloved Sprite. He has earned every last one of them (mostly the hard way). However, he never came to you for sympathy, he just wanted to feel your love. If people don’t understand your sorrow, even years from now, they are too shallow to worry about. They just don’t get it, and that’s sad.

Fondest Regards,
Bobbie from TX

2004 was the worst year of my life. My fifty-two-year-old husband was deployed to Kuwait, I waited out two of the four hurricanes that hit, had to put down my two rescued Rottweilers (Abby, 6 and Jagger, 2 1/2) because they got out while I was at church one evening, and accidently ran over our eight-year-old cat that (the vet told me later) would have died soon anyway because he was “ate up” with cancer. (That was little, if any comfort, I assure you!)

I’ve always had “critters” and have had to, from time to time, make the same decision you did for Sprite.

Our Rotts were a great source of security and love. Having to euthanize those two beautiful dogs while my husband was away was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

“Rescuing Sprite” was the best and worst book I’ve ever read, as I completely identified with you and felt your pain.

God bless you and keep you and your family, Mark. May you also be comforted by the wonderful memories that you have of your precious Sprite.

Shelby from FL