I came by Bella ‘the chihuahua’ by accident. My then 19 year old daughter who suffered a Paris Hilton attack, came home with a tiny chihuahua. I did my best to avoid this dog. I shampooed the carpet three days in a row so Toni (my daughter) had to keep Bella in her room. I kept telling her the rug was too damp. Then I was watching TV one afternoon when I heard my mother’s voice say ‘Be nice to Bella’ and she meant it. (God rest her soul) As time went on, Toni was just too busy for a puppy so I started to take over. I took Bella with me everywhere. We became fast friends. I love this little dog so much. I always had big dogs. This one was different. She’s like a baby to me. She eats what I eat, She can say “out’ when she wants to go for a walk. She is a celebrity in our neighborhood. Finally she sleeps with me (and what a bed hog she is ..loll.).

Carol from NJ

This is Chloe. She was picked from a litter of 6, at 8 weeks old. She and her siblings had been surrendered to the Humane Society. Having just lost a dog, I was NOT interested in going through the heartache of loving and losing another dog. I ONLY had gone to the Humane Society to get my “doggy fix” by volunteering to walk any dogs that were available to walk.

There was this litter of puppies that had just come in, so naturally, I had to check them out. Each one was cuter than the next….wiggly, licking, biting…There was one who had this little pointy head and just nuzzled my neck…….That was it!!! This pup is coming home with me!!.

That was on a Saturday…..Please believe me that by Sunday night, she was pretty well housebroken. HONEST!!!

The ONLY mischief she ever got into was to grab the end of the toilet paper and run throughout the house leaving a 250 sheet trail of TP……The was NOT a chewer. AND..oddly enough, she loved to bet close and to have you pet her, BUT, she did not like to be held . She would wiggle and do everything to get free.
Over the next 16 years, she would , literally, bring trash to the house that would blow into the yard. She loved to play “frisbee”….and just become the best friend tio my kids, and myself.

Since her passing in 2000, she is STILL missed very much. She is truly irreplaceable.

Bob from MI

MY Seamus was a large yorkie, only 8 yrs old. too young to die. But he did, and a part of me died too. I held him the whole night before we had toput him down,(my husband had to dothat) I begged him to live, I had been hand feeding him for months. Kidney disease did him in, and he was so sick. rreminds me of him. I have. I did have another dog when this happened, it helped, but not so much. After a few months I went out andgot two puppies. One is a silkie, and he is named Seamus 2.they look like yorkies (have yorkie in the breed) and his is larger like my other dog was. I love him, but he is not my Seamus. The other dog is a shitese I love him too, but again they fill in the hurt,but they are not my SEamus. My key board is wet right now from tears. Maybe it is because I had to make the decision to put the dog to sleep, I feel like I murdered him, maybe it is guilt for having to do this to one of the things I loved most in life. MY Seamus..I hope he meets me someday in heaven. I ask that of God to just surround me with my loved ones for eternity. There should be another dog waiting for me he was Lancer also a large Yorkie, but he did me a favor, he had a stroke or something in my house, and he and the rug were a mess, I yelled at him, not knowing, then took him outside to clean him up. Took off his collar to clean his neck area with the hose, he bit me left ( something he never did, we loved each other) and never came back. The vet said he knew he was dieing and did not want toput me through it. I believe that. So for Lalncer and for Seamus I will buy this book read it and have a great cry. Thanks for the opportunity to get this out. Felicia Dorste, a devoted listener.

Felicia from NY

This story of loss is the other way around. My wife, Micki, passed away this week and is survived by her two dogs, Max and Fred. Mark was kind enough to call her, on several occasions. Please tell him how much she appreciated that.

The story really begins with our previous dog, Bowser. He was a Shih-Tsu and you wouldn’t think of Bowser as a name for a cute little dog like that, but he was the biggest Shih-Tsu I’ve ever seen. He was the anti-runt of his litter, about 3 times bigger than any of the other puppies. Bowser also liked to eat – and my wife, who can’t say no to a dog, let him.

We had Bowser for many years, but he got old and hurting and the doctor said it was time to let him go to sleep. By that time, my wife and I had separated – and she had gotten custody of the dog. Bowser was her constant companion, her only companion, and his loss left a huge hole in her life.

Like Mark, my wife felt that no dog could ever replace Bowser. She was in mourning and wasn’t about to even think of replacing him any time soon. I accepted that argument until the next morning. She was so distraught that I suggested we run down to the local pet shops, on a lark, just to see what dogs might be there. She told me it was futile, but reluctantly agreed.
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Hi I come from a family that has bred, raised and showed many breeds of dogs and I’ve loved everything about our extended family. Mark meet Killian. Killian ignited and extinguished this love. He has been my last and it’s been more than 7 years. I have hundreds of stories, but I feel his last story is fitting. Killian was a Bullmastiff and in his hayday was, in appearance, a Pitt Bull on roides, in reality a lap pup with 150lbs. of nope, not my lap! He was the last of the litter in Corte Madera, Ca. and spent that first evening at 14lbs. on my shoulder looking out the window on the way home….that image lives on!!! His last day with me precludes a great story. I was 31, spent the day in surgery and came home to no (KP) K-puppy. Had he ecaped again?

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I would like to tell you about my very dear friend Hawkeye. At 41 years old, I have had many pets, dogs and cats. But I believe that 1 over all the rest stands out just a bit more. To me, it was Hawkeye.

On Oct. 1, 1980, he was born. I was not sure he would live, long story, but I worked on him and he did live, for 16 years. At night, always by my side, a true lap cat. More so, a true dedicated friend. Through happy times, and sad like when my Mother died, he was there. He live for over half of my life at the time.

In 1994 he developed diabetes. For almost 2 years I tested him and gave adjusted insulin shots daily. He was happy, healthy and full of life. He would hear my car, cry at the window and then greet me at the door, every day. Whenever I sat down, there he was, on my lap, purring and happy.

On Oct. 21, 1996, he was not well; I took him to the vet all the while knowing what was happening. Sadly I had to put him down. At 31 years old, I had never made this decision with any pet. I was never around when they died. So this was very tuff for me and for a long while I was very upset.

Hawkeye reminded me that animal lovers can help those in need. As Mark helped he beloved dog Sprite, I helped my Garfield, Amber, Jonesy and now Hobbes. All of them either abandoned or left behind. Also I just rescued 2 cats that were cared for, but could not move with the company to its new home. Now, they have a chance at being adopted, I am very happy about it too.

My late vet wrote a very nice article about Hawkeye, she ended it with, “I hope you are happy mousing in the fields of heaven Hawkeye. You certainly deserve it………”

And someday he, along with so many other dear departed friends will be waiting for me, and we will ALL cross over the rainbow bridge into Heaven.

Mark, I am so sorry about Sprite. I know how it feels…..

Jon from NY