photo: Martha G. Brady
Is there anything more loyal than a family dog? I haven’t seen a better example. We’re out here visiting our grands. This year, they got a family dog, a chocolate lab. His name is Hudson. Of course, they adore him.
He is wild about them too! He wants to please them and make them happy. It’s nice if he can be happy in return of course. When they are happy with him, they rub his fur, play with him in the yard, run with him and give him treats. That is great.
When he does something wrong, they are unhappy with him and he has to go in his crate at times he doesn’t want to…or away from their presence when he would like to be with them.
But often, as I watch him, despite his puppiness, I see him watching to see what will make them happy. He watches for his master to come home at the end of the day and runs to see him. What makes him happy? Hudson wants to do it.
I see him watching to see what will make them happy. Share on XAs my daughter trains him to walk on the leash, he bounces ahead of her until she pulls the leash to keep him close to her so he will learn not to run ahead and pull on it. stop
He is fortunate to be in a good family that cares for him well and trains him to behave. He doesn’t have to fear being beaten or mistreated. All his needs are cared for. They watch to see that his skin is cared for and in good condition. He is fed well and the food that can harm him are kept away from him.
He returns the favor by being loyal to them. If a stranger comes, he barks to warn them of danger. He knows who his people are and wants to keep them safe. He watches to keep them happy. He is alert to their needs…as alert as a 7 month old puppy can be.
He returns the favor by being loyal to them. If a stranger comes, he barks to warn them of danger. Share on XWe aren’t puppy dogs of course. But among GOD’s people, we need to think about how loyal we are within the family of GOD…healthy loyalty that is.
Do we major on trivial differences that keep us from getting along?
Do we understand that we are a different people in the culture where we live?
There are many ways where we can be loyal to each other. No, not in every way, but in a post-Christian culture, let us be loyal to those with whom we can stand together in Christ in a very dark world.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for his own possession,
that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
I Peter 2:9-10
Ah, your post made me miss our German Shepherd! She walked our girls to school and when they said, “Home!” she’d turn around and run home cross-country (about a half a mile) and jump over the fence back into her pen.
what an amazing dog anita:) wow! i haven’t known many dogs that would do that! glad you stopped by:) we’re heading home today from the beautiful northwest:)
Yes, Martha! Dogs are so loyal. We can learn from them for sure. Love your dog picture. 😉
thanks betsy:) glad you stopped by!
I love the photo- dogs are a great example of loyalty. So true that we should show loyalty to one another within the family of God too- that even though there will be things we disagree on we are all God’s people and we need to stand together.
glad you stopped by lesley:) as we all know, loyalty is not plentiful these days. we want it to be seen in the Church of Jesus Christ for sure!
Such a fitting post. Did you know that today is national dog day?
i had no idea! how interesting:) thanks for telling me tara.
This is such a sweet story, Martha, and I totally get it. Today, I wrote about our dog, Bella, but we also have a big lab named Cooper who acts just like Hudson. I LOVE that he wants to please us! And even when his natural instincts make him dig massive holes in the yard, it’s hard to stay mad at him because he’s so loyal and loving. See you next week.
Shauna (your neighbour down the block at #14)
thanks for stopping by shauna:) i’ll scoot over and read your story.
We had the same thoughts this week! Dogs are incredible models of loyalty and love, we have so much to learn from their earnest ways of interacting with us and the world. Great post 🙂
thanks emma:) cute blog title. i know, when the word loyal came up, all i could think of was dog!
Great post, Martha. I think it’s no accident that in English, God and dog are anagrams.
I have learned more about loyalty, love, and the responsibilities therein from them that I learned from people. Being a good human to my dogs made me something of a passable husband, because I learned early that someone else’s needs came first.
Didn’t matter if I wanted to kick back and rest. If a dog was sick, he or she took precedence, period, and no whinging (from me) allowed.
#2 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/08/your-dying-spouse-199-phoenix-rising-fmf.html
Oh I like that … God and dog are anagrams
sounds about right andrew:) i’m not very knowledgeable about animals, but i am about humans…as a nurse. despite the common rep, many of us actually do care about people and have compassion for them:) from work as a nurse, i have learned more about how to treat the people i love and vice versa:) (and for the animal lovers, don’t judge me b/c i’m not a big animal lover. i was attacked by a dog at age 18 mon. don’t remember it, but have scars on my face to show for it. doge, even friendly ones, still make me a little nervous…especially when they head for my face to lick me!)
I liked your narrative about the pup and his desire to make his master happy. That’s a wonderful quality in a dog. I’ve seen my relative’s dog do the same thing. They just want an excuse to play with us and make us happy.
it’s true alice:) when we had a dog and she heard the car drive in, she would stand at the door to the garage, looking at it, waiting for my husband to come out and greet her:) she was crazy about him!