In July of 1994 I and my four children moved back to California from Texas after my then husband was jailed for sexually abusing my oldest three children. To say the least it was a time of turbulence and upheaval and as a mother of four I was in great need of support from my family. My mother lived alone in the house I grew up in and offered to allow us to start life over again under her roof. She had a medium sized all black(except for a small patch of white on her chest and tip of her tail) female dog which she had adopted from a local SPCA shelter and her name was LIttle One. She became a wonderful friend to us all and was one of the greatest dogs I have ever had the priveledge to know. She had webbed toes so was a water dog but I never really knew her breed, only her temperment and personality. She adored us and was extremely playful while never jumping on anyone. She would run around and drop at your feet to get you to chase her. She didn’t care much for our cats but tolerated them.

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I studied and watched dog shows and decided I wanted a Newfoundland puppy. I found a dear little girl, all black, 7 1/2 weeks old, and took her home. By 5 1/2 months, she was 70 pounds, tall and gorgeous, smart and funny. She loved nothing more than locating a stick and proudly bringing it into her own yard. But, she had to spend her life outside on a leash and her energy requirements were too much for my 76-year-old tiny frame. I could no longer hold the leash. I had to give her to the Newfoundland Rescue Group. It has been a week, and I am still crying. I pray the Lord allows her to live a happy life with a new family where she can run free!!

Gerry from MI

Treat me kindly, my beloved friend for no heart in the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me learn.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world’s sweetest music, as you know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.

Feed and water me so that I may stay well to romp and play to amuse you with my antics. I will walk at your side and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger. It is then that I shall curl up warmly at your feet and sound my contentment to the world.

And, my friend, when I am very old and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun. Please see that my trusting life is taken gently. I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw, that my fate was always safest in your hands.

-Beth Norman Harris

Dear Mark & family,

You have my heartfelt sympathy for the loss of your loving and loyal Sprite. The words above comforted us when we lost our beloved “Sally”. She lived to the ripe age of 17.

It helps me to know that part of being a responsible pet owner is to do the right thing for them at the end of their lives, no matter how hard it is on the humans they leave behind.

With every round and furry head you reach down to pat, may you always feel Sprite’s warm love and affection returned.

Sue from IL

Mark,
First of all, thank you for providing the opportunity to share pet stories with you and others.

About 10 years ago, I worked the night shift at a local grocer. At the time, overtime was not allowed, so I had to leave ear;y one night. It turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened to me. While driving down a dark, curvy road near my home, I came around a sharp curve and had to stop short because of a young pup walking down the center of the lane. He did not try to run away or even get out of the road, he just kept looking back at me as he walked. I pulled my car onto the shoulder and got out, he stopped and kept just looking at me as if to say “and what do YOU want?”. I simply said “come here, boy” and he trotted right over to me. I opened the door to my car, and without any hesitation at all, he jumped right in. This poor dog was in such bad shape, I was not sure what to do. He was covered in fleas, emaciated, and I wasn’t sure if he would make it. The next day, I took him to my vet to see what could be done to help this poor animal.

Turned out he had mites in both his ears, infecton in both ears, and TWO different kinds of intestinal parasites. He only weighed about 22 pounds, and should have been about 50 at the time. I had originally intended to try to find the owner, but when my vet told me there were signs of abuse, I said “well he’s my dog now”. Over the next few months, I nursed him back to health, and we forged an absolutely incredible bond. For the first year or so, nobody but me could touch him, and if anyone else tried to, he would immediately run behind my legs and peek out. Over time, he has warmed up to my family and friends, and has been one of the best friends I could have ever wished for. This dog is really too smart for his own good, it only took about 6 months to teach him every trick he knows, and he was outside trained in the first 3 weeks I had him. I decided to name him ‘Henry’ after Thoreau because I found him at the edge of the woods, it seemed to fit.
Henry is the most loyal, loving, and gentle animal I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and he proves that you are absolutely right when you say “In the long run, it is we, the humans, who are the lucky ones.”. Thank you once again for sharing your story, and for the chance to share mine.

Michael from NC

She stood dejected, feeling alone out in the nosebleed section of the stables. Other buyers were looking for nicer and healthier-looking mares and steeds. They were led to prospective “show” champs. Each was papered and could brag of blood lineage that rivaled neighbors in the stables next to his. But Katie stood alone in the mud. As I was led to each of the stables’ rock stars, I kept wondering, “What about her?” I finally asked the question. I was told that she wasn’t what I was looking for, even though the owner knew that I wasn’t interested in showing a horse. I just had dreams….

Dreams of when I grew up in SoCA. A time when one could run around in O.C. as a kid, and told to just be home by dark. It was a time of stables, cows, horses, and orange groves. As I grew, so did O.C. and with that growth, there was no room for horses or cows and there was no time for them either. Then the dream started to work to the front of my brain. I wanted to introduce my daughter to one of the simple pleasures of life.
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Ok,here goes…we have 3 dogs 2cats 1 llama and about 150 chickens….i was listening to the show today (10-31) and when mark was talking about his dog. this big harry truck driver was starting to cry..my small dog IS MY LIFE!..
my mom told me once that she loved me unconditionaly,i thought i knew what she was talking about…i was wrong..my bestest friend in the world loves me more than my mother and wife…i think that God lets us enjoy our pets to learn what unconditional love realy is…chessy(my bestest goodest friend.)loves me no matter what.he has truely tought me the true meaning of unconditional love…

I call home every day and leave him a message on the answer machine and and he will hear me and start jumping and barking and howling..He realy loves his daddy…and when i get home at nite we play untill its belly rub time then we have dinner and he sets on my lap untill betime.then we have to wrestle.then he shares a pillow between my wife and me,and that is where i see him when i wake up and it starts all over again…i dont need to die a rich man because my lifes treasure has 4paws and always a wagging tail…im truly blessed to have such a friend in my life…thank you mark for sharing your story,i cant wait to read your book .God bless you and all of our little friends.

Ed from OK