Divine Dogs

Bear with me...
I'm not being sacrilegious but in light of the fact that our family dog is gone and the more time I spend at home, the more I am aware of his absence, I really believe dogs are given to us by God - I don't mean in a sappy "Precious Moments" way but in that dogs are created to be companions and that there is a fingerprint persay, of God himself in a dog.

Take for instance the dog I am borrowing for the night to keep me company. His name is Billy, he is a mutt with a brown body and a brown and white head and white 'knee-high' socks. He is medium sized, skinny, and short haired. He also has ears which stick straight up or out depending on his mood. Billy is very sweet, enjoys life, loves other dogs, and walks like a slinky. I'm not kidding - his back end is constantly trying to catch up with his front end and he runs in a zigzag manner.

My dog, Duncan (who passed away in April), thought he was a person, or at least equal in abilities and respect as a person. When I would walk him or sit at home with him I could literally talk to him, ask him how he was feeling (he had arthritis) or if he wanted to play or walk or be loved etc. Before you make judgments about my mental stability, liken it to the way we talk to small children, cheery, smiling, in love, and with the realization that they probably don't understand most of what we say. But Duncan seemed to realize I at least needed to just hear my own voice and would sit and look at me intently as I spoke, as if he was listening. You could say his name and his attention was on you until you dismissed him. I loved that and I suppose I took it for granted.

Billy? You say his name and he looks for .32 seconds to see if you have something he wants or is immediately making it worth his while. Then he goes back to being a dog. Conversation is not possible and I wound up looking stupid talking to him about the difficulty of our walk. He didn't show interest or even entertain me by pretending to listen. Billy had a different gift, making someone feel loved and needed and moreover, missed. I had to restrain him when my mom left for work and anytime I moved rooms in the house, he had to come except he can't walk on our wood floors so I had to carry him. Billy made me feel like I needed to take care of him, like he needed me - even while he was sleeping at the foot of my bed because he wouldn't leave me. My brothers are too old to 'need' me in the house when mom's at work, I'm just a fire marshal, referee, and lunch packer. But Billy needed me.

So are dogs divine? Do all dogs go to heaven? I'm finally able to toss those thoughts around without getting choked up.
I do believe God blesses us through our dogs - however different their roles, abilities, and personalities. I don't have a clue about whether they are in heaven but if they aren't, we won't miss them. But that doesn't mean I'm not hoping my sheltie is standing and waiting for me someday, eager to listen and love me.

...and I don't think I'm ready to get another dog unless he can converse.



I'm curious:
Do you have a dog? What does it 'divinely' offer you when you need it? Have you lost a pet?