Fur Children Revisted

Last night, I got the chance to read political radio host Mark Levin's new book, Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish. "Yawn," I thought. The story didn't really sound that intriguing to me--a man who is upset by his dog being sick and writes an entire book on his family's relationship with the animal. I wrote a while back on the nonsense of people who call their pets their fur children and it seemed a bit odd to dwell over a dog so much. However, after reading Rescuing Sprite, I might just change my mind.

The book is more than a story about a sick dog and a distraught owner who treats his dog like one of his kids --okay, Levin kind of does, but that is not the point--it is the tale of a human connection to a spirited friend who sat with the author while he was sick, helped a family to feel complete and taught Levin to deal with loss, love and letting go.

In-between running a business during the day and broadcasting from his studio at night, (sounds familiar) Levin spends much of his time with his two dogs, Sprite and Pepsi. Sprite is an older dog who is sick with arthritis and other ailments, yet he is gracious under duress and never stops trying to live life fully. Levin watches him in amazement and realizes that the structure and small intimate time that he has with his dogs and family are the most important moments of his life. Politcs and work take a backseat in Levin's life as he spends his time thinking about Sprite's quality of life and how he will deal with the inevitable death of his friend.

While the book sounds like a real tear jerker, it is not. It celebrates life, love and the spirit of an animal who brought the author great joy. It's a great read, I couldn't put it down until I finished it and will definitely be adding this to my Christmas list for the dog lovers I know.