In our long history as dog lovers, my husband and I have typically had two dogs at a time as family members. Readers who followed my previous Tale of Two Doggies writings will know that Scooter and Maggie were the dog protagonists of those stories.
To briefly recap, we had a sweet, goofy Wheaton Terrier, Annabelle, for 12 years. A few years into our life with Annabelle we introduced Scooter, a Welsh Terrier with a wonderfully distinct, quirky personality.
Annabelle died in 2017. We grieved for several months and then started looking for another dog that might be well suited to join our little pack.
Along came Maggie, whom we adopted from a rescue organization. She had been found on the streets of Houston after Hurricane Harvey, pregnant and homeless. She gave birth to her litter of puppies and then became available to us.
The early days with Maggie were tricky. It quickly became apparent that she had survived some trauma and food scarcity while on the streets. She would need time and great care to adjust to her new environment. Maggie and Scooter also had to learn to be good siblings to each other, under the leadership of Rick and myself.
I’ve worked with traumatized humans as a therapist. Lay people sometimes assume that as soon as a victim is plucked out of danger and brought to safety, he or she is immediately grateful and cooperative. This is definitely not the case. Healing and adjustment can take a very long time.
The same can be true with dogs, which is what inspired my dog stories. Most of the inspiration for the stories came during my walks with them. Daily walks have been a physical, emotional, and spiritual discipline of mine for many years. Naturally, my dogs join me every morning, and this cements our relationships.
Because I write primarily about how Scripture comes to life, Scooter and Maggie provided me with much inspiration and some perfect behavioral and spiritual metaphors that were confirmed by God’s word. My dogs were excellent teachers–about leading, following, walking in unity, and growing older together.
Sadly, our wonderful Scooter died in 2020. This was a huge blow, and we still ache with grief over this loss sometimes. We knew that we would need a good period of time to be ready to invite another dog into our home. And we felt that Maggie deserved the chance to be the unchallenged queen of her domain for a while.
A few months ago, I noticed my husband searching the internet for puppies in the evenings. He looked at Bull Terriers, which he’s always loved, as well as Wheatons, Whelshies, and various designer breeds with “oodle” at the end of their names.
After experiencing the satisfaction of rescuing dear Maggie, I’ll always be more inclined to rescue, instead of shelling out a few thousand dollars to a breeder. So, the two of us were not exactly on the same page yet on the dog issue, but we were starting to talk about it more. We were getting ready.
Then, I got a very distressed phone call from our daughter. She informed me that a family friend had died tragically and unexpectedly. He had been living in a distant state for a year or so. He was single, with only his dog, Jeff, for companionship.
Because our daughter had been in a close relationship with both man and dog at one point, she felt an urgent need to drive to this distant state to assess the situation and make sure Jeff was safe and cared for. She was determined to bring Jeff back to Texas.
We knew that it would not make sense for her to adopt Jeff on her own. Our daughter is a very busy restaurant manager and is away from home for many hours at a time. She also rents a house that is not pet friendly.
As I processed the many facts and feelings that were unfolding, I heard myself tell my daughter, without a moment’s hesitation, “Of course, we’ll take Jeff.” Intuitively, I knew that rescuing this dog would be a way to pull a redemptive gift out of this very tragic situation.
Our daughter drove all day, stayed in a hotel, and picked up Jeff the next morning. They made the long trip back to Texas and arrived at our door in the middle of the night.
Jeff was in bad shape, physically and emotionally. He was malnourished, with his rib bones showing. He was nervous and agitated, with aching joints and rickety legs. He had been left behind by the only human he had ever relied upon his entire life.
We have no way of knowing what Jeff’s owner had been through in the months preceding his death. But it must have been a true crisis of some sort. He had loved Jeff more than anything or anyone in the world. How could he have allowed this sweet pup to be so neglected?
We immediately got Jeff into the vet’s office, and hundreds of dollars later, walked out with a strategy for restoring him to good health. We have followed this regimen and it has been successful.
Just a month later, Jeff is at a healthy weight. His coat is shiny and beautiful. Best of all, he appears to be at peace. He enjoys his comfy bed, nutritious meals, walks in the mornings, and playing in the yard. He shows us that he feels safe and knows he belongs.
It could have been very different. We’d had only brief previous acquaintance with Jeff when he was a puppy and knew him to be basically an affectionate, obedient dog with a mild temperament. But that can change when a dog experiences trauma and loss.
Thankfully, Jeff has maintained his sweetness. He’s large and strong and could be scary if he wanted to be. So far he shows not an ounce of aggression toward animals or people.
And this is where we return to Tale of Two Doggies. What about Maggie? She didn’t get a say in this decision.
Maggie has been amazing. We didn’t know how she would react to this abrupt introduction of another dog. In my previous stories I revealed that she had to overcome some aggression issues toward other dogs when we first brought her home. She has come such a long way.
Maggie’s reaction to Jeff has been one of calm curiosity and even a bit of playfulness. She’ll give a mild warning if she needs to set a boundary, but there’s been no ugliness between them at all. Actually, having Jeff around is proving to be quite beneficial to our dear girl. She has a pal now. When we go out, the two dogs are a compatible little team. They watch together and keep each other company.
In terms of spiritual lessons….
The main thing that has come to mind for me is the value of friendship. In the last chapter of the book of Hebrews, the author writes,
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Heb. 13:2).
Can an angel show up in the shape of a big brown dog? Considering the sad circumstance that brought Jeff to us, could it be that Jeff is a messenger to us, a new teacher?
When we open our hearts and home to a new friend, whether human or animal, perhaps we open a bigger space for the loving Spirit of God to abide and help us flourish.
This is what Maggie has done. She immediately accepted Jeff as though she expected him, as though she understood what was required of her. She has impressed us with her friendly, welcoming, patient demeanor and willingness to share attention and resources with him.
This tale is a very simple one.
It is important to welcome those in need of care and safety. It is healthy to receive the blessing of a new friendship.
In human terms, this can be risky. Sometimes things don’t turn out so well. But if we trust God with our own safety and well-being, the risk in making room for others is diminished. We can share our lives, our love, and our resources, without fear of harm or lack.
Thank you, Jeff, for the increase of love and friendship you have brought to our family. We are committed to loving and caring for you very well.
And thank you, Maggie, for leading the way with your doggie kindness. Did you sense that God was sending an angel your way?
