  We present the results of a study that uses numerical simulations to
interpret observations of tidally disturbed satellites around the Milky Way.
When analysing the simulations from the viewpoint of an observer, we find a
break in the slope of the star count and velocity dispersion profiles in our
models at the location where unbound stars dominate. We conclude that
`extra-tidal' stars and enhanced velocity dispersions observed in the outskirts
of Galactic satellites are due to contamination by stellar debris from the
tidal interaction with the Milky Way. However, a significant bound population
can exist beyond the break radius and we argue that it should not be identified
with the tidal radius of the satellite. We also develop and test a method for
determining the mass loss rate from a Galactic satellite using its extra-tidal
population. We apply this method to observations of globular clusters and dwarf
spheroidal satellites of the Milky Way, and conclude that a significant
fraction of both satellite systems are likely be destroyed within the next
Hubble time. Finally, we demonstrate that this mass loss estimate allows us to
place some limits on the initial mass function (IMF) of stars in a cluster from
the radial dependence of its present day mass function (PDMF).
