Dog Devotion

Meet Judy (hi Judy!). Isn't she cute? I love that little teardrop white marking under her eye. Judy is a 13 year old border collie who was here at Good Shepherd Boarding Kennel for the first time recently.

Her owner told me she was a good dog. This was immediately apparent by the dog's intent focus on her owner. Border Collie's are good at focus. This is an admirable trait. My own Cattle Dog, Foster, is extremely devoted to me. However, this devotion can be a difficult obstacle when the owner is away. Without their object of affection and devotion around, some dogs (like Foster), get extremely agitated and they don't eat or function well.

Fortunately for Judy (and me), she adjusted quickly. Proving the intelligence of the breed, once she figured out the routine of the kennel, there were no problems and she seemed to accept my attention and guidance well. Of course, once her owner returned to her, I was completely ignored.

Yesterday I had a crazy thought. Could I try a different faith system? The thought arose due to an article I read about a woman who went "undercover" to explore a different faith. She left unaffected, if not a little hostile, which she was to begin with. I wondered if I could do the same. I don't think I could turn my back on Jesus, even for the purpose of experimenting. As I've heard it said, "once you know the truth, you can't un-know it."

Yet while we're living our lives here "on earth," we are away from our one true Master. We need to figure out a way to function. We could live in despair. We could try to live with hope instead.

When Judy's owner returned, Judy jumped and wagged her tail, like most dogs do when they see the love of their lives. What a wonderful reunion it will be when our Master returns for us.