Is That Pasture Over There Really Greener?

(Please excuse the lack of paragraphs - I'm not sure what is wrong with this blog account-boo!) Tilly makes me crazy more often than not. She forages for hidden cat "treasures" in every nook and cranny of the yard, she occassionally visits the neighbor cows to see what they are doing and spy on her dog boyfriend "Tucker," she will NOT stop jumping on people and most recently she peed on a visitor's shoe. Charming.

One thing I know is that she wouldn't be better off somewhere else. No one would put up with her. Yet sometimes we think there's that perfect home just waiting for a pet that maybe we can't quite accommodate. What I've learned from kenneling and dog resuce work is that pets are very forgiving. If you can't walk your dog as much as you'd like, the dog will still love you. If the dog sprints merrily away when accidentally off leash and you think maybe she needs a home in the country, it really means the dog is enjoying a sprint. As an owner of "dogs in the country" I can tell you that dogs that randomly roam and sprint is a rarity. Most dogs will stay on the porch waiting for their devoted owner to come out. In other words, they can thrive on our neglect. Granted, that's not always the case and by neglect, I do not mean depravation of food, water and shelter. I mean the dog is not getting the "perks" we think they want. Sure, they want them. But they want you more. It's so easy to be distracted by our daily lives and demands. Passing interest often means a passing by of our daily time with God. Yet God is forgiving. As much as He longs for a relationship with us, He abides, even in the face of our neglecting time with Him. Amazingly, He puts up with our bad attitudes as well. It is not what He desires for us, but His persevering love calls out to us daily. That's why I'm putting on my shoes to take Tilly for a walk (and Foster too).