“The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.”

- G.K. Chesterton

Last week I said good-by to an old friend. We had been friends for over ten years. He was a good listener, a faithful companion, and ever the friend. He was very much a part of our family. When the tornado sirens went off this summer, he wouldn’t rest until everyone was downstairs – even the cat! Every night he would “tuck-in” my children. Every person who came on, or near, my property was challenged and subject to his inspection. But he fell victim to the plague of our age, cancer. Yes, even dogs get cancer.

If you have never had a dog, you simply won’t understand – don’t even bother trying to read this. A dog isn’t just a pet, after an amazingly short period of time (think weeks) they become a part of the family. Its no longer just a dog, but a part of your family that you lose. It isn’t easy when your an adult; and trying to explain that to a five-year-old and an eight-year-old isn’t easy either!

That evening, through angry tears my daughter wanted to know why puppy-dogs don’t live as long as cats. Not being someone who likes cats, I thought that was a pretty valid question. I didn’t have an answer for her then, but after having had several days to think about it, I have one now. I think God allows dogs such a short time to remind us not only of our own mortality, but of how precious life is.

My wife and I have explained to our children that our dog was sick and hurting. We explained that now he is happy in heaven with my Grandmother (who loved all animals). I’m not sure how much that explanation helped ease their suffering, but if you have a better idea, you are more than welcome to submit it by posting a comment!

Now before anyone gets too bent out of shape allow me to further clarify my explanation. Yes, I believe that there are dogs in heaven. Someone once tried to explain to me that dogs don’t have souls and therefore couldn’t make it to heaven. This person never had a dog, so they obviously just didn’t understand.

I personally believe that dogs are God-sent and cats are just evil. Really, stop and think back for a moment to Halloween – any Halloween. Have you ever seen a witch pictured with a dog? No…always with a cat! Hmmm…Interesting.

What do they call people who are revered for their holiness? Oh yea…Saints! You know, as in Saint Bernard – oh wait, that’s a type of dog isn’t it? Didn’t Jesus say he was the good shepherd. You’ve heard of shepherds, like German Shepherd, or Australian Shepherd. Wait…those are types of dogs too, aren’t they? And even if they don’t have “shepherd” in their name, there are several types of dogs that are routinely used to help in shepherding. Maybe dogs are here to help “shepherd” us along as we move through life. The point is, dogs are good, cats are evil.

But even more importantly, you aren’t going to live forever. For what its worth, you had better enjoy and make the most of your life – that is one of the many lessons I learned that from my dog.

One final thought:

“My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am” – author unknown