Hi Mark,

Thank you for sharing your poignant story about the love and loss of your beloved Sprite. Several times you said you nearly stopped writing it because you didn’t think people would read it. Well….I couldn’t put it down. Rescuing Sprite came from Amazon yesterday and today I read it from cover to cover. I fell in love with Sprite through your words and pictures, and sobbed as the inevitable took place. My heart breaks for you and your family as I’ve experienced your pain firsthand. When I was a child, we had two St. Bernards and a Newfoundland. Two of them had to be put to sleep very early (at two and three years respectively) and the other one lived to be 11 or 12. All three were my dearest companions and I ached for them for a very long time.

When my husband and I got married, I had been after him for a dog, and he kept turning me down year after year. They say that everything happens for a reason, and I suppose my husband’s constant denial was no different. On April 20, 2001, I suddenly lost my 42-year old brother Bill to a heart disease (cardiomyopathy). Neither he, nor we knew he was sick and we had to find out at autopsy what could take an otherwise healthy young man in his prime. The grief our entire family experienced was profound and I, already an overly-sensitive person as it is, was having great difficulty accepting it. I was distraught.
Read the rest of this entry »

Throughout grade school and high school I had a much loved English Setter, Rusty. When I graduated from high school and went to work in DC, my mother gave my dog to my sister (without my permission). At first it worked out, because my sister lived in Maryland and I stayed with her. When I moved into DC, though, my devoted companion went looking for me. We never found him, and after 50+ years I still cry over him. I’ve had many dogs and cats since, but I’ve never forgotten how special Rusty was. Two years ago, when my little tripod mutt, Sparkle, died at age 18, I decided I needed to find another English Setter. I’m a senior citizen, and don’t want my animals to outlive me because I worry about their fate (I have no kids to take them). For that reason, I decided to adopt an older dog, thinking it might be like making it up to Rusty for not being able to care for him as he grew old. I searched the net and found my beautiful English Setter, Bogie, at a distant shelter. His owner disposed of him because he didn’t get around very well any more and could no longer hunt. He didn’t even have a name; his owner simply called him “Boy.” Read the rest of this entry »

Mark,
My wife and I had two Shelties, Mitzi and Maggie. Each lived until about 14 years old. Both are gone now. I had the experience of putting each dog down, at the vet’s office,when it was her time. Each occasion was for me quite sad and I am not ashamed to say that I cried when each died. I chose to be in the room with each dog when it was time for them to be put to sleep because, in part, each had always been there for me. The least I could do was to be there for Mitzi, about five years ago, and for Maggie this past year. In each instance I simply put both of my hands, gently and lovingly on her while she received the euthanasia and said, “Good dog, Mitzi” and more recently, “Good dog, Maggie” and then said good bye. These were both good, smart affectionate dogs and they always greeted me with wagging tails when I came home each night from work. They asked for so little yet gave so much. I know I learned a lot about life, including: living, suffering, and dying through Mitzi and Maggie.
Read the rest of this entry »

In the 1990’s I lived in Phenix City, AL, right across the Chattahoochie River from Columbus, GA. One day a story ran in the paper about an old widower who used to take his pet Chihuahua, Little Bit, everywhere he went. The old man would walk the town with his elbow bent, and the little dog resting on his right forearm. After the man’s wife died, the dog was his only companion, since they had had no children.
Now, I’m sketchy on the details, but, suffice it to say, one day the old man passed away. For the next few days, this dog was inconsolable. It was every bit of 23 years old, blind, deaf, and had no teeth. All the dog would do was lie there and cry. Eventually, the dog was euthanized. At the funeral, anyone who walked up to the casket to view the old man’s body also saw the body of Little Bit, nestled on the right forearm of his friend. They were laid to rest together that way.
Not only does the heart of a master break over the loss of a dog, but vice versa as well.

Jay from Missouri

Dear Mark, I got my first dog, Sergei, at a local animal shelter. I had just bought a house so I had graduated from the renters world to home ownership. Sergei was a found dog. He looked just like Lassie but he stayed close to the back of the kennel and shook. He was so frightened. I’ve never seen a dog so completely scared in my life. I suspect it was in part the noise of all the other dogs barking. When I got him home he continued to be very shy at first and I wondered if he would ever warm up to people. Well – that is a thing of the past. He is so gentle and caring. Sergei has a heart of gold.

A year after I got Sergei I started searching to find him a friend. Since he was so sensitive, I didn’t want to get a dog that was too dominate. I searched and searched the shelters and my mother, recently widowed and thrilled to be helping me fix up my new home, came with me. She was non to thrilled though. She kept saying to me “why do you need another dog” – “you don’t need another dog” she’d say.
Read the rest of this entry »

Mark,
This article was sent to me in in April of this year after my second golden retriever was diagnosed with cancer of the Nares, Murphy is still with us and everyday is a blessing..I dread the day that we will have to say goodbye.Everyday he brings so much joy and unconditional love to us and some days he acts like nothing is wrong.
The attached message is from a friend who knew the day we were told Murphy had about 4 months to live..That was 7 months ago.
HERE YOU GO. I LOVE YOUR SHOW AND AGREE WITH SHAWN YOU ARE THE GREAT ONE.
Read the rest of this entry »