DOG DAZE!

So Charles and I have this little cocker spaniel puppy (named Chloe) who is teething and obviously needs to be watched every second she is not in her cage (avid dog lovers choose to call it a “crate” because it does not sound as harsh as “cage” but it is what it is . . .it’s a cage!). The other day Charles was home sick and while I was driving home, I called him to find out how he was feeling and (more importantly) to find out how Chloe was. Charles was ripping mad! Apparently he went to the bathroom and closed the door and left 11 month old teething Chloe alone in the living room. Oh, I forgot to mention that on top of the coffee table was an unopened banana and a pair of eyeglasses (with a string tied to the end of each handle). Charles was angry when he went back to the living room to find a banana peel on the floor and no sign of his eyeglasses (with the tempting string attached to the end of the handles.

What angered Charles the most was when he came out of the bathroom, Chloe ran into her cage. Charles feels that if the dog is smart enough to know where to go when she is in trouble, she should be punished and made to stay in the cage for the rest of the day. Really Charles? Do you think the dog will remember (all day) the reason she is in “time-out”?

Friday our door bell rang (or so we thought). Charles opened the door and Chloe shot out! Next thing you know Charles and I are following this crazy little run-away dog down the street. All I could imagine was a car running over my new little best friend. Chloe ran into a neighbor’s yard and Charles swooped down to grab her and fell on his bad leg . . .Chloe got away! The neighbor is from Albania and speaks very little English. Chloe ran to her and she began to pet the dog and speak to her in her language (like she always does). Charles yelled to the lady to grab hold of the dog’s collar but she obviously did not understand because as soon as Charles got closer to Chloe, she took off running again. This scene really should have been on America’s Funniest Video; I would have won the $100K prize for sure!

Chloe must have tired herself out because she finally sat still long enough to let Charles put the leash on her collar. He gave the leash to me and walked home faster than a speeding bullet (not certain if he was embarrassed because the neighbors saw him fall of if he was disgusted because the dog gave him a good run for his money!

Turns out it was neither of the above. Get this; Charles was angry because he said Chloe should know better . . . .Really Charles? How would this puppy know better? Every day we go for a walk twice a day. Don’t you think the dog thought she was going for a walk? Just like a baby does not know it cannot cross the street without an adult, a puppy does not know she cannot go for a walk without a master.

Dogs, (just like us) have to learn and unfortunately often times we have to learn the hard way. Experience is sometimes the best teacher. We say all the time that God takes care of fools and babies but when we allow Him, he will take care of us too. God is a patient God while He is training us to me more like Him. We are impatient when we are training dogs to act like humans. God is never shocked by our behavior because He knows us better than we know ourselves. Everything our dogs do and do not do shocks us because we do not know a thing about them. We have to ask God for more patience and wisdom. The bible says, “The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel” (Proverbs 12:10).

Sharon Griffin- Rogers
www.godsbigneighborhood.com/