My son Matt wrote this right after he received the phone call from us letting him know that our beloved Lacy had passed;

Lacy

This Fire inside me burns to my core
It leaves a hole in my heart and throat that is sore
My hands are still shaking from the last phone call
I step on the clutch, put it in 1st, and I stall
My eyes stream with tears that run down my face
I’m trying to hide it but your soul I embrace
I’m dreading this journey, without you by my side
My faithful companion, my watcher, my guide
Though I will remember your warm embrace
One blue eye one brown, the black star on your face
The joy that you brought to family and friends
The joy and love that you gave till the end
You fought the good fight, and you lived the good life
But now that you’re gone I don’t know what is right
I’ll remember the good times I spent with you
And I know in my heart you’ll remember them too

Rich from PA

Dear Mark,
I have had to make that decision four times in my life and those memories are still incredibly heart wrenching….I really try not to think of them, but I have two dogs now and I know that I will have to face the same sorrow again. CS Lewis said something like “the joy now is part of the pain then….” he wasn’t speaking about dogs, but it relates to how I feel about the time God let me share with those dearest of friends.

I loved them more than words can say, and I am a better person for loving them and being loved by them. I read once that dogs are all about the “now”……lets play now; lets run now; were alive now….i love you, i love you NOW! I have them all in a little pocket in my heart, just for them, so they will always be with me NOW!
THANKS FOR GIVING US SPRITE AND LETTING US LOVE HIM WITH YOU……I FEEL AS IF HE IS IN MY POCKET TOO.

You are a good man Mr. Levin and I am honored to be one of your millions of dedicated listeners. We love you out here…….and we have your back…..! love and deepest respect.

Marianne from IL

Dino the Dinosaur Saved from Extinction. That’s what we named our shelter dog. Several years ago we lost Snaps, the heartbeat of our ranch, and my husband insisted that the only way to cure the dead puppy blues was another other puppy. He made a trip to the shelter, and came home with this poor creature who was unadoptable, had been diagnosed with heartworm, and was already on the “short list” to be put to sleep. As soon as he saw him, my husband committed to making Dino’s last days pleasant ones. That was 4 years ago, and he’s still with us today. He was misdiagnosed, and our vet says he’s healthy as a horse. He is without a doubt the most loving 4-legged creature I have every encountered. He greets us with a “smile”, sleeps under the covers at my feet every night, is afraid of thunder and runs to snuggle at the first hint of a storm. He’s getting up in years, and is starting to grey out and slow down, but he still brightens our days.

Diane from FL

I love your show Mark and download it on my ipod every night to listen to. I agree with all of your views but really can relate to your feelings for your pets. Our cockapoos are so special to us. We call our doggies “humanals” since they are such a part of our life. We purchased an 1869 house 10 years ago to restore and open as a b&b. We were a little concerned that our guests might not be as fond of our three humanals as we are, but the opposite has been true. Everyone loves the dogs. Seek them out and when they leave and write a comment in our guest book something is always said about Buddy, Emeril and Rose. We have had guests who recently lost a pet , a woman whose husband would not allow her a pet, couples trying to decide whether to adopt or not and all have spent a lot of their time here with one of dogs on their lap. My husband thinks we should be able to take them off as a business expense since they offer such comfort to our guests. Thank you for your conservative voice and now your compassionate voice for our pets and families. I look forward to getting your book. It has not arrived at Costco yet but might go to a local book store today. Keep up the good work; and as someone recently called in to your show said, “you are a shining light in the dark”.

Sandra from VA

My parents rescued a dog from the pound befor I was born and named her “Taffy”. She was part collie and golden retriever. When I was born Taffy was very protective of me.We lived on A lake and Taffy would not let me in the water.Every time I would run into the water Taffy would run in after me,pick me up by the diaper and carry me back to shore.My mother said that I got A kick out of that and would run back into the water as soon as Taffy let go.

When I got to be school age,Taffy would walk me to the school bus stop every morning and be there waiting for me when I got off of the bus regardless of the weather(I grew up in Connecticut).One morning befor school I called Taffy in to eat her breakfast when she collapsed on the front steps.I was 14 years old at the time and Taffy was 16 years old.I sat there with her head on my lap in tears untill she passed on.The last thing that Taffy did for me was to lift her head from my lap and “kiss” me with her nose under my chin….then she was gone.I felt as though I had just lost my big sister.That was 31 years ago and still I tear up when thinking of her.

Michael from OK

About 2 years ago, we lost our first dog in a hit and run. Her name was Happy and she was instantly loyal to our family. It was odd and warming to us. She had quite a personality and instantly bonded with our cats. We had her for 2 yrs. She was 3 when she was hit by a van and drug down the street. She limped back to our oldest son in the front yard and died in his arms. I thought I would never recover and as I write this I am tearing up. I made the mistake of instantly trying to replace her and failed with 2 dogs that were in constant mischief and had to be taken back to the shelter. After several months I snuck back to the shelter and dared to take several dogs to the visitation room. Being a christian, I prayed for God’s will and visited with alot of dogs. One of them was a terrier mix that was a female and had a beard and hairy everywhere! I knew that she could not possibly be the one so I went home. Later my husband and I went back and he prayed as he walked amidst the cages. He said” this is the one” before he even got to this particular cage and I was afraid to look because I knew that it was the dog with the beard!! Well, she has been a Godsend to us. She is happy and loyal and just pure joy to behold. She loves all people, animals and toys. She likes cereal, grapes and popcorn. She is the perfect fit. Her name is Sundae and we thank God for her. She is our family.

Julie from IL