Kylo was a recue dog that our family got when he was less than a year old. I remember meeting him and his owner then at a community park so we could get to know him and right off, we fell in love with him with his big floppy ears and huge paws. He was to us a very unique dog with a chocolate brown coat and short stubby tail that wagged like there was no tomorrow. Without hesitation, he became part of the family.
Over the years, we walked; we hiked the hills surrounding our city of Livermore. We took Kylo to the beach in San Francisco one time after an earlier trip where we noticed others out playing with their dogs, tossing balls into the ocean and Frisbees where their dogs would go and retrieve them back so we thought nothing of bringing Kylo on our next trip. He was so excited to go and once we got there, we took him to see what the ocean was like. I took him off his leash and he loved to go after the ball so I tossed it into the ocean waves and off he went to retrieve it and as he came back to me he saw another dog on the beach and being the social dog that he was, he ran past me, leaping over sun tanning bodies as he went from dog to dog. This continued for about 20 minutes as others helped to corral my excited Kylo. That was the last time we took him there.
About a year ago, I came home from work and as I always did to go and play with Kylo but this was a day i would not forget. Kylo did not come to me but was trying desperately to vomit and he had a glazed look in his eyes reaching for help. We rushed him to the only veterinarian hospital that was open late. The friendly staff rushed him into the back and within minutes, the doctor came out and told us the only way to save him would be to operate on him as he was suffering from GDV and that depending on the damage and when this occurred that there may be damage to the tissue so complications could set in and so there was a 50/50 chance of survival but there was something else that showed up on the x-ray, a dark spot on the lung and to consider that it could be a tumor. We gave our consent for the GDV surgery and waited. The doctor later came out and said that surgery went well and that the spleen had to be removed during the procedure and that infection would have to be watched for over the next week. 3 days later Kylo had an elevated temperature and so we took him back in where it was discovered that he did have an infection and the doctor told us that he would have to go back in for more surgery but due to his age and recent surgery, he might not survive. We again consented to the surgery but asked that while Kylo was under the anesthesia to give us a report on his condition so if euthanasia was to be an option. 45 minutes later we received news that the infection was not associated with the previous operation and it was isolated so there was a good chance for recovery if we proceeded and of course we consented.
Over the last year, he has changed, we have seen Kylo age where he no longer wants to run or walk far. He has gotten thinner. Today, we are going to say goodbye to him as he has stopped eating and can no longer get out of his bed and I can see in his eyes, he tells me it is time. This will be the hardest thing that I will be doing and I hope it is the right thing when I place that dreaded call to my veterinarian.

— Randy from Livermore, CA

Eleven years ago I was going through a bitter divorce. At the same time, a good friend was struggling with what was to be the last stage of her battle with cancer. Due to her illness, Kathy needed to find a home for her 5-month-old yellow lab puppy, Bailey.

My two teens and I were the fortunate family that took him into our home.
We managed to survive the early years with Bailey, including his chewing on shoes, clothes, my son’s jet ski life vest, and constant counter surfing any time we turned our backs.

Now, the kids are hard working adults and owners of their own yellow labs with many of their own stories to tell: Buddy, who as a puppy jumped out of the back of my son’s truck on a back country road and a few years later pushed an air conditioning unit out of the 2nd floor window, and Brodie, my daughter’s lab, who made a special effort to swim out to greet the only boater on the water in Charleston, SC, where she lives. As you may note, they have kept the “B” theme with the names.

For the last five years, it has been just my companion with me at home. We are getting old together. I had a knee replacement two years ago, and he now needs a lift when getting up on my bed. But at 11 ½, he still is doing great.

Bailey started out as Kathy’s puppy. I am grateful she chose such a wonderful dog. I know he was and is a gift from God. I am so blessed to be his adopted mom.

— Anne from Frederick, MD

I would like to tell you about my dog white pit bull named, Mykayla. She loved everyone she met (except squirrels, cats and over pushy dogs).   She was happy everyday of her life until her legs turned to rubber and she collapsed in front of me July of 2005.  I rushed her to the first doctor that made me wait with her in my arms for 21/2 hours.  She seemed alert and happy at this point but was declining.  One side of her face was drooping a bit and she was drooling. One side of her body was not working, front and back leg. ( I was trying to be tough but was crying the whole time).Once they saw her they offered no advice, nothing! And when I asked about many different options they said no, no, no. Only to come back Monday (this was Friday night) for an MRI. I said, “Do I have to wait that long”? Their answer was,”She probably won’t die before then”. I took Mykayla home and then realized I don’t know how to have her go to the bathroom and went back the next morning for them to show me how to express her bladder. It was so full I thought it would burst! I didn’t want to go back there again and paying around $300.00, so I went to a vet in Riverdale closer to me. They took x-rays of Mykayla and blood tests, found nothing wrong but recommended a hospital 11/2 hours away and the doctor said he would monitor every move. Mykayla was alert at this time but sad and scared. My daughter drove her to the hospital that night, now 3 days after Mykayla collapsed. When we admitted her at the hospital a deposit had to be made up front and financial papers signed and the approximate cost they said would be $8,000. We put a sizable down payment on a credit card. To sum this horrible where they almost killed my dog….they preformed tests on my dog that were unauthorized. I had to leave her there to go to finish some work so that I could be freed up to be available. During this time I couldn’t get anyone on the phone to tell me what was going on with my dog. They lied to me….stalled me, etc. Even the local doctor who said he would monitor every move did not. I drove down there to take my dog home. When I saw the condition of my dog I was so angry you have no idea! I had taken her food initially because of being a “down dog” (not able to walk) she should eat her food softened. They wrote the instructions and put her food labeled in the refrigerator…but didn’t give her a drop! They tried to say she wouldn’t eat …and they told me she had diaherrea….I warned them how important that she only have her food because she will get sick if she is switched but in three days they didn’t take the time to hand feed her. I took pictures of her and the shaved skin on her side where they did a muscle biopsy and claimed to me that she had a bed sore. You could see her ribs. She was freezing, shaking and filthy dirty. I had taken some Holistic Remedies with me and food. Thinking she would stay as they recommended. But I knew before I went there that I needed to bring her home and I was right. She would never have made it to Saturday. I made them bring her to an examine room and I put blankets on her, gave her the remedies, feed her and cleaned her! She was completely dehydrated. Mykayla drank 11/2 liters of water on the spot and ate 21/2 cups of softened food! I stood by her on the gurney from 9pm til 3am until they kicked me out and I slept in my car and at 8am I took her from that hell hole on a stretcher and after sending most of them to hell for the treatment of my dog….I and crying I said “And my dog will walk again”!
I prayed so hard…I said, “GOD you created this beautiful dog for me to love and I’m not ready to loose her, please heal her”! I know HE helped me and Mykayla. I propped her with pillows, I expressed her bladder that would sometimes take an hour and I gave her enemas. I treated her with herbs and homeopathy….I hand feed her and I slept on the floor next to her sleeping maybe only 4 hours a night. My biggest concern was that her internal organs would shut. She had never been sick before in her life except when my daughter bought the wrong food, so she had that going for her. We saw progress and then many days when I questioned if I was doing the right thing by her. But what kept me going were the dreams that I know GOD gave me, my daughter and my neighbor who used to help in the morning shift to go outside. In all our dreams Mykayla was walking. After 4 months, I asked GOD to please have her walk on the next Sunday. That Sunday came and went and she didn’t stand. But the next Sunday ….she stood! I couldn’t believe my eyes! What I learned from this experience was to ask GOD but not tell HIM when!!!! I forgot to mention that I took Mykayla swimming to help re-build her muscles that had diminished and I would stretch her legs as physical therapy. But here’s the most fantastic thing…..in my constant research I read about frankincense oil; I was using others but decided to use this one. I really didn’t know how she could get her muscle mass back and I prayed about that too. After I applied the frankincense to her paws and down her spine, I saw the most amazing results. She began snoring in the deepest sleep and while lying on her side, began running and running and running. And day by day I could see her muscles building. It was a miracle!
I then made a carrier for my 50lb. dog so that I could relieve the friends who helped me carry her up and down the steps. And even after she began walking she could only go up the steps with me spotting her but for the next 4 years of her life, I hand fed her 4 times a day gave her $200.00 worth of people herbs and vitamins a month….and loved her to death. I have a video of her playing ball….she had a funny hop because some damage was down to her front legs. I believe it was from mold in the home I lived in because I too was sick for 2 1/2 years and didn’t know why but I was treating my sinus infections but poor Mykayla couldn’t tell me anything was wrong with her and she always seemed fine except in looking back there were a couple of times leading up to her collapse where I did see a couple of signs.

Well I vowed that as long as Mykayla was never in any pain I would do whatever it took to keep her with me. I have had many dogs in my life…growing up on a farm in Michigan and after…..but never a dog with her beauty inside and out. Everyone love Mykayla she was the embodiment of LOVE. ….all wrapped in a beautiful PIT BULL. In October of 2009 2 times Mykayla cried in pain and became stiff for a brief time gazing into space. I knew for a few months that the day was coming and I constantly tried to prepare myself to deal with that reality. My daughter picked Mykayla and me up and we went….my friend had made arrangements for me because I couldn’t. Once we were in the car Mykayla only picked her head up once…when my daughter left the car. Once she came back she continued to sleep in my arms. When we were in the waiting room filled with other animals she didn’t even look around. When we went to the examine room….she never checked anyone out, not her normal behavior even though she was totally with it. They gave me time alone with her and I was crying hard while kissing her face and she pulled away from me! My friend said, “Stop crying honey…it’s not good for her”, and he was right. When I stopped crying she didn’t pull away. She didn’t want me to cry…. Mykayla was fifteen and one half years old.
I will miss you forever, Mykayla

— Victoria from Riverdale, NY

One day a friend came to my house. When he was leaving there was a dog sitting on the at the top of the stairs. My friend said he had petted the dog when he had arrived. Well I chased it away. The next morning, there was the dog sitting on the top step. I was leaving and again I chased it away. On my return at the end of the day, there she was sitting on the top step. So I said, “O.K. you win, BUT, you head right to the bathroom for a bath” and I pointed in the direction of the bathroom. To my surprise she went in to the bathroom and without being told, got into the bath tub. Tulip turned out to be one of the best. She was so smart and had such personality. I’ll tell one story to demonstrate. Everytime we were around water, she would always want me to through something in the water for her to retrieve. One day we came to a beach without only sand and rocks. I looked at her and said, “well your out luck Tulip, not sticks”. She took off and sometime later I see her dragging the branch of a tree, and it wasn’t a small branch. She dragged it up to me sat there and gave me THE LOOK. I haven’t had a dog since she died and that was almost 30 years ago.

— Michael from Gardnerville, NV

Earlier this month, I took my 15 year old cat, Gus to the vet thinking that he would have to be put to sleep.  His health had declined over the summer, and he was having trouble breathing.  He had a heart condition, and I knew he didn’t have much time left.

The vet said he had fluid in the lungs.  She drained his lungs, and he seemed to be more comfortable.  Unfortunately, his heart couldn’t take the stress, and he passed later that night.

I was absolutely distraught.  I had lost my best friend.  Gus died on a Monday night, the following Saturday I sat down and read Rescuing Sprite.  I wept openly through the entire book, and in many ways it was a painful experience.  But when I finished, I felt closure.  Thank you Mark for your wonderful book.

— Gus from Reading, PA

In 1998, I was single and petless. My sister had a six-month old Lab that she couldn’t keep because… well, he was a Lab and he did what Labs do. I wholeheartedly took him in and he became my best buddy and companion. Rain, snow, sleet, or shine Major and I enjoyed our daily walks. Even if it was 2 a.m. when I arrived home from an out-of-town meeting we had our walk. I got married in 2002 and Major lost some of me. I lived with some guilt because I missed Major being number one. He always kept me number one in his life. On Thursday, August 26, I lost my old buddy. I knew it would be hard but never understood how badly I miss him. Thanks for always being my buddy Major!

— Brent from Ft. Payne, AL