I am an avid listener and appreciate all that you do for our wonderful country. I can’t wait to read your new book (after finals!) and I thank you for sharing your emotions and feelings on how important pets are.

I had my quaker parrot Charlie for exactly 6 years (August 18, 2000 – August 18, 2006). She was in perfect health when I boarded her at the local bird store when my now fiancee and I went on vacation to the East Coast.

After a week and a half of vacation, we were on our way to the airport to return back to Seattle, when we were involved in a high speed collision, which delayed our return to Seattle. I missed Charlie everyday and knowing that I would see her very soon helped me feel better about being in such a traumatic collision. The thought of being reunited with her was what gave me the courage to go in a car back to the airport, past the accident site.

We tried to pick her up the afternoon we returned, but the store had closed early, so we came back first thing the next morning so I could snuggle her immediately. Unfortunately, I was told by one of the employees that she had died the morning before. In disbelief, I rushed over to her cage and found it empty.
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My dog, Ciara, was first my cousin’s dog. But when she got married and moved overseas, she couldn’t take Ciara with her. So I offered to foster her until I could find her a home. Needless to say, Ciara is now part of my family. She and her two feline brothers are the best gifts a person could ever ask for. Ciara is the “enforcer” in our house-when the boys fight, she breaks it up, when one of them sneaks out of the house, she goes after them and herds them to a spot where I can get them. She has been there for me when I got a divorce, when I’ve been studying for grad school and when I’ve needed a friend. She loves to chase her ball (and her brother Comet too) and loves to tromp in the rain. She’s the first one to greet me and the one to tuck me in at night. I am thankful every day that I have her and I wouldn’t know what to do without her!

Jennifer from MD

I was lucky enough to get through to your show on Monday and relay “Toby’s” story. Toby was my beloved Quaker Parrot and this is a tribute to him.

Toby was 3 months old when I was surprised with him as a Christmas gift from my family. He and I bonded immediately and became “best friends”. He trusted me enough to lie on his back in my hand and sleep for hours. He was a treasure.

Quakers can live 25-30 years and until the age of 13 he was in excellent health. One afternoon as he was sitting on top of his cage he was frightened by a loud noise and flew off the cage into the wall. When I picked him up he was limp. I thought he was just scared and held him for a while to calm him. I then realized that he could not move his neck and could not stand or balance.. I made a nest out of towels so that I could sit him (propped up) in his house until I could get him to the vet the following day.
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Mark, i heard your story on Sean’s show about 3 weeks after losing our little toy poodle “cosette”. She was with us for 91/2 years and from the start she was always the picky eater, had to hand feed her for most of those 91/2 years. Two years ago she suddenly lost her site due to cateracts and the diagnosis of diabetes. After many hospital stays and glucose readings at the vet she was finally regulated and doing good for almost two years when she must have contracted some type of viral infection since her little sister spent 4 days in the vet with the same problems Sophie recovered but Cosette was to weak and passed at the exact time i would get her up in the morning for her first meal and insulin shot. i never had a pet growing up but this is one of the hardest things i have had to deal with, to me she is still the little puppy we briught home almost 10 years ago and i miss her so much. thank you for giving me the opportunity to vent my feelings about my little baby.

Herb from PA

Hi Mark, I am looking forward to reading Rescuing Sprite. I suppose you are the first person I have found that was crushed as much as myself for having to give up our best friend. My wife and I never had children so our Pickenease Sammy was our daughter for 17 years. I never dreamed an animal could steel my heart the way that dog did. Of course for me to tell my entire story of life with Sammy for so many years would result in my own book. We kept Sammy for a year longer than we should have out of our inability to let her go. We fed her the last year with a baby bottle and she had no fun. For that I am truly regretfull because that wasn’t fair to her.

April three years ago my wife and I finally mustered the courage to take her to the vet for his opinion, knowing full well what he would say. Sammy was afraid lying on the examanation table as I stoked her tiny head telling her it would be ok. When the doctor adminstered the shot to her tiny foot I lost what little composure I had mustered. Still hurt some each day for Sammy and vowed to have owned my last dog. A year ago we took in a tiny “mutt” who was wandering without a home. She is a delightful little dog who is allways glad when wife and I come home so here we go, falling again. These little creatures have to live somewhere and having a soft heart sure has it’s draw backs. Sammy is ok now and so is Sprite, we will just have to look forward to the day when they can jump in our laps again and we won’t have to loose them again.

Thank you for sharing with us Mark.

W.C. from Arkansas

Well, I listen to Mark most every night, so I knew about this sight, but it has taken a few days to adjust before I can tell my story.

I bought BJ (a male Pomeranian) about 2yrs ago. My room-mate had a female Pom and we wanted to breed her. Well, eventually BJ grew up and about the end of May Missy had four cute puppies. At the end of June my roomate move back to PA to be with family and I kept one of the puppies for myself and company for Daddy BJ. He was just a great father to all of the puppies, he would follow them around the house and clean up if they made a mess.
I drive truck 7 days a week, locally, and BJ and Keysha (his daughter) would ride with me. We really didn’t have a life except for each other.
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