Let me tell you about our dog, Brandy. Brandy was a laborador/golden retriever mix. We adopted her from a shelter when she was 6 months old. She was always with us … our child … and a priceless gift from God. We always felt that she somehow knew we ‘saved’ her from who-knows-what on the streets.

When Brandy was 6 years old, my husband was diagnosed with a rare disorder that left him permanently paralyzed from the chest down, and in a wheelchair. During his 3 months in the rehab center, we wondered how Brandy would eventually react to the wheelchair when he came home. We needn’t have worried. I was able to take her to visit him in the rehab center. When she saw him (for the first time in about 6 weeks), she jumped on him with such force and enthusiasm that we thought she would knock his wheelchair over. The chair didn’t matter … all that mattered to her was that she was able to see him again. When he eventually returned home, she was the best companion and protector for him than we could have ever wanted. Needless to say, she was a priceless companion and support to me for the three months my husband was not at home.

Four years later, Brandy was diagnosed with a neurological disorder that left her unable to walk, and caused other medical complications. As uncomfortable as she was, she insisted on sitting by my husband’s side and ‘helping’ him as best as she could. As time passed and it became clear that it was not fair to ask Brandy to continue in her current state, we went through a month-long process of grieving and saying good-bye, with her by our side. Her final trip to the vet required that she be carried in on a stretcher, where our vet confirmed that there was nothing more that could be done, and that she had no quality of life left. Saying that final goodbye was one of the most heart-wrenching things that we have ever had to go through, but we would not have wanted her final minutes to be without us.

During Brandy’s life (because of the gifts she had given us as a “mutt”), we decided that we would never go to a puppy store or a breeder when the time came to get another dog. Shelter dogs would be the only kind acceptable in our family.

About 6 weeks after Brandy’s death, we adopted two 6-month-old dachshund-mix puppies. They are a wonderful addition to our family, and we already can’t imagine life without them. They have already helped immeasurably in our lives.

Yesterday, I learned that my cousin and her daughter were killed by my cousin’s estranged husband, who then committed suicide. As heartbreaking as this news is … our pups have already helped to lighten the burden on our hearts, simply by being their bouncy and joyful selves.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share our story with you and others.

Kris from New Jersey

Sugar, my adopted, precous Dachshound, was rescued from abuse. i do not know the details. But I know that she has no remorse in her heart. Rather, all she has is unbounding love for me. She won’t take her eyes off me. I catch her peeking at me even when she is sleeping. She wants to be with me all the time, and crys when I have to leave her. She greets me with eager, open “arms”, begging to be held and hugged. She looks right into my eyes; I know that she has a soul.

One day It occurred to me that this is the way we should be towards our Father in Heaven.

And speaking of God, He has promised us that we willl be with our beloved pets in heaven. Isaiah 11:8

May this bring you comfort, Mark, and all of us who have lost beloved pets. We WILL see them again.

May God bless and keep you all and yours.

Virginia from Texas

I have loved animals since I was a little girl. When I was around five years old my dad brought home a puppy that a man was giving away in the street, that we named Poochy. My mother was not an animal lover and had no patience for a puppy who was chewing everything in sight. One day she called the ASPCA and a man in van came to take Poochy away. I remember the man saying “why do you want to get rid of this dog, he seems like such a good dog?”. I don’t really remember my mother’s answer but I can tell you that watching the man take Poochy away haunts me to this day. I’m crying as I write this and it is forty years later. I knew from that day on that I would never treat an animal as just object that is disposable. A year later my father brought home another puppy we named Cinzia. I’m very happy to say that even though my mother did not want an animal in the house my father and I would never let what happened to Poochy ever happen again. Cinzia lived to be 16 and died of old age. When she died we were heart broken, even my mother, but we were grateful to have her for 16 wonderful years.

When my kids were 4 and 6, my husband surprised us on Valentines Day by going to an animal shelter in the middle of a huge snowstorm and brought home a shepard mix puppy. I still remember her little tail sticking from under my husbands jacket as he walked through the door. My daughter named her Jasmine after the princess in the Disney movie Aladdin. Jasmine was the best dog. She got along great with our four cats, she was always there being happy and cheery when things were good and bad, she was a true and loyal friend and a wonderful part of our family.
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Spike came from the Orange County, CA Animal Shelter. We looked at thousands of animals in at least a hundred rows of cages. The very last row of cages had about 4 dogs in the first few stalls. Then they all seemed empty. I turned to leave, but my husband said, “No, they all derserve to be looked at”. Lo and behold, our beloved Spike was in the last cage of the last row. Spike stayed with us for 15 years. He was a member of the family and it still twists my heart when I think of him.
God Bless You and your attention to people’s losses of any kind. We love the stories .

Joyce from Nevada

Gee, where do I begin! My husband and I have been married 31 years, no children…But we have always had rescued doggies. Yes, it is very sad when they get old and die, but the joy they have given us all these years is can’t be measured. We now have three rescued Dashies Sam, Louis, and Ella. And two Labs Bea and Bailey. And one kitty named Belle.
I recentley had Hip replacment surgery. Two in one years time. Hey, I’m fine…my wonderful doggies were such a comfort through all my recovery. They seemed to know that I wasn’t moving as fast as I once did. Now I can play with all of them, and life is great!
I have your book “Recing Sprite”. I am on page 50. It’s a wonderful book. I am going to buy it for different family members for Christmas.

God Bless You!
We love you!
You have a good heart.
Robin from Texas

We haven’t read your book yet, but are sure it will strike home and raise emotions wildly again. We adopted a throw away dog from my childrens’ elementary school 12 years ago. She was thrown from a passing car, and the principal knew we had promised our kids’ a dog once we had a house.
Thus began a twelve year story of love, devotion, fun, friendship and companionship.
We could only speculate on her heritage, Belgian Sheppard, Labrador, Chow, and maybe something else, but she was the best tempered dog in the world, and quickly became our 3rd child. She stayed behind as the kids grew up, left home and went to college.
Blackberry (named by my youngest child) stayed behind and helped fill the void of disappearing children.
We won’t try to rewrite your book or experiences, but suffice to say that when we faced that dreaded decision, it was the hardest thing we have ever done, in 32 years of marriage. The fact that we had her for most of her life, (she was about 12 weeks when abandoned) did not make the decision any easier or justifiable. It just helped us realize that she looked to us as her family and we knew we did not want her to suffer any longer.
In ending this little note, we would just like to pass along some advice given to us by a veterinarian much more insightful than we were. He told us how lucky people are that dogs only live perhaps 15 plus years, and not longer.
Imagine how hard it would be if their lifespans matched ours.
Heartfelt thanks to you, Mark, for taking the time to put in word what almost all of us have or will experience in our lifetimes.
Keep adopting!!!!!!
Tom & Angie from Washington