I am fortunate enough to still have her. She is a 10 1/2 year old black lab. If she lives until March, she will be 11. Back in 1996, my wife and I moved to Greenville, NC so my wife could finish College. As poor college students, we could not afford to get a dog that we wanted at the time. A coworker of mine offered me one of the litter of black labs. My wife, who had a childhood black lab (also named Sadie) said that she was open to getting this lab. This pup was the last of the litter (the runt). Well my friend brought 3 puppies to the house (the other two with “our pup” were already spoken for.

Our pup was very very sickly and tiny. My friends poured puppy chow into an aluminum pan and poured water over it. As I watched the pups feed, I saw that our pup was too weak to hold her head up and eat. The other two healthy pups mowed through the chow in just a few moments and poor Sadie had only had some broth off of this and was too weak to eat any of this solid food. I could fit her in my hands. She was 1/3 the size of the other two. I could only get 10 minutes of activity out of her before she would “flop out of commission… like she was lethargic”. I was thinking “this pup is not going to make it unless I get some real food into her and soon. As soon as my friend left with the other two pups, I ran to the nearest Grocery Store, bought 3 cans of the most expensive canned dog food on the shelf and grabbed a quart of heavy cream. I mixed a broth out of this and gave it to Sadie and she sprang to life! She grew by leaps and bounds! After a couple of weeks of healthy pup, another ominous problem sprang up.

She started losing hair on her tail and body. It was obvious that she was miserable as she would chew on her irritated skin. Our vet diagnosed her with demodectic mange. It broke my heart because Sadie’s spirit was so strong and my wife and I were in love with this miracle dog! Or vet at the time told us that he had an “experimental treatment’ that could kill her or cure her. After trying numerous skin treatments to no avail, we opted to give Sadie this high concentration of Ivomectin by mouth (a worm medicine) to kill off the mange. It was also expensive… money that my wife and I really didn’t have but we found a way because we knew that Sadie was so miserable that we did not have no other alternatives. We paid the vet for this experimental treatment. We would fill this syringe with the turpentine smelling mixture and squirt it down Sadie’s throat. I would lead the treatment with 1/2 slice of american cheese, and follow it with the other half. I called Sadie and she would obediently come sit at my feet while I gave her her “good, bad, good” treatment. After two months of that she was cured of the mange!

Sadie has always been the sweetest and most obedient dog. I cannot help but know she knew that she was truly “rescued” and she reciprocated by being the best dog that I have ever had. I have truly been blessed by this miracle dog. I know that we are in the “twilight” now, and it breaks my heart to know that we will dearly miss her when she is gone… but I am so happy to report that she is still doing well after such an uncertain start. I caught her yawning here.. If you look to the right of the picture of her, you will see another black mass of Labrador. That is Sammy, and he is her best buddy. Perhaps I will send you his story later. I am truly blessed by these animal companions. I will be buying your book… and I am sorry for your loss. God bless you and thank you Mark.

Michael From NC

My beautiful Shetland Sheepdog, Sunset on Skye, was a part of my life for over 10 years. Raised from a puppy, he was my beloved, constant companion. I lived on a 10 acre property where I worked as well as lived. Skye never left the property in all the years we were together. The other staff would know which building I was in because Skye was patiently waiting for me at the entrance. One day I was walking to my dwelling where I lived and I made eye contact with my friend. I knew instantly when looking in his eyes he was going to be leaving me. I thanked him for his friendship, protection and love and hugged him for the last time. It was a profound moment for me as I had the opportunity to say good-bye to my faithful friend. A day or two later he was hit by a car on a road he had never wandered into in his life. I think he knew he was leaving me too. He was buried with his collar, tags, lease and a huge bouquet of flowers. I wept like a child. I still express my gratitude to God for letting me have Skye in my life. Skye was the greatest dog in the world.

Melissa from CA

I ‘ve lost to cats over the years,each reached the age of sixteen,Pookie and LittleOne.
I won’t go into details of what they meant to me,as you already know.
I beleve God has given us these pets to show us what unconditional love means.
I have another cat now,his name is Scratch,someone put him in a bag and threw him into a canal,a lady heard his meows,as he was fighting to survive,and rescued him,and I adopted him,he could fit in my pocket then.
He is now about 7,all 15lbs of him, and still a fighter.

Mike from WA

Dusty was a beautiful Sheltie and we were blessed to share 15 years with her – until we knew her low back pain was just too much. She was essentially my husband’s dog, and, knowing he could not deal with it, I sent him to the golf club; the vet came to the house and I carried Dusty to her car; and, after she was “gone”, they brought her back to us to bury. As you know, we had no idea we could cry so hard for so many days. We did eventually get another Sheltie (now 5 yr) and wish with all my heart that she outlives me.

Pepe from OR

In 1952 my father was killed in an auto accident. we had a dog named rover (mut). living on a fram this dog would have the cows in the barn the moment he heard dad waking up to milk. when my father died, rover sat on the spot and refused to move untilo he joined his master. Without a doubt rover knew his master as my father did and both are reaping their eternal rewards

Ken from IL

This is a note I wrote my brother some years back when I lost my dachshund Sweetles to cancer in 2004. He wanted to know how she was doing…

” Sweetles reached the end of her struggle against cancer on July 10th.

Her earthly remains, in a position of rest, were creamated on the 11th.

From the onset of symptoms to the inevitable, I had a little less than three months to enjoy her, tend to her, to praise and love her.

There is a hole in my heart that cannot be filled.

The worst part was taking her to the room and holding her as the gift of life left her body.

Before the eager glint in her eye vanished, she was still licking and barking — not as she did in her youth, but with a growing weakness leading to a gruesome end save human intervention — the time to enter heaven chosen, in part, so she would “die with her boots on.”

It was the humane thing to do.

Still, I can’t help thinking that on some level, I killed her even though I know cancer was the cause.

If I had noticed sooner, force fed her a little more or a little less, authorized more proceedures or stopped while we seemed ahead, etc. etc. etc. maybe she would have survived.

Thinking like this can lead to nothing good because where does it end.

This is part of the bargin I suppose.

Parents know they shouldn’t outlive their children.

But as a parent to child that was Sweetles, I knew the day would come to say good bye, no more pain, no more hunger, no more fear — only love and the promise that the Lord willing, we will meet again, renew our friendship and enjoy it forever.

With a very broken heart, I am,

Your brother,

Bob from VA