Enjoying Learning from a Dog
This evening in family devotions, we used a reading from Tim Ellsworth in which he recounted some lessons he learned from his dog. The Bible reading comes from 2 Peter:
… [G]row in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever.
Amen.
2 Peter 3:18
My Sanctified Dog, Gus
I miss our morning conversations the most. Every morning I would go outside to see my dogs. While they were both happy to see me, Gus expressed his joy in a much more vocal way. It was almost as if he were singing to me with a “roo, roo, roo” type of sound that must have annoyed the neighbors. Sometimes I had to go back into the house just to get him to stop.
He was always thrilled to see me at any time of the day, but only in the mornings was I greeted in such a raucous manner. I came to call it my morning conversation with Gus. It was like he had been waiting all night to see me, and he simply wanted to tell my how his night had been.
I got Gus when he was just a puppy, probably only about three weeks old. He and his momma, who was half golden retriever, were residents of the local dog pound when I came in looking for two dogs to replace those we had just lost. Gus was the only pup to survive from her litter of seven, and I took both him and his mom.
Gus (whom we named after the great Christian thinker Augustine) was a tiny little guy, fitting in the palm of my hand. He was entirely dependent upon his mother, Suzy, and when she would walk off and leave him behind, he would sit down, throw back his head, and let loose with a mournful cry. You would think his world had come to an end because his mom was a few yards away. He eventually grew to be almost twice her size, but he never stopped being her pup.
My mornings are a lot quieter now. At eleven years of age, Gus had been dealing with arthritis in his legs for some time. His condition had steadily worsened despite an increase in the pain-killing medication he was taking. It got to the place where he could hardly walk.
So we had to say goodbye. I knew for weeks that the day was coming and tried to prepare myself as best as I could. But it was still terribly difficult. He was my good and faithful friend, and a kind and gentle soul.
Through the pain he experienced late in life, Gus demonstrated to me what I grew to love most about him. The older he got and the more his legs hurt, the sweeter his disposition became. No one would have blamed him for being grumpy and sour, but that wasn’t how Gus reacted. He simply loved us more and was all the more cheerful about life. Maybe he knew his days were numbered, and he wanted to make those days count.
It’s probably not possible for a dog to be godly and to grow in sanctification. But all the same, Gus showed me what I must aspire to be like as I get older. Assuming that I live for at least a few more years, I’ll most likely have to deal with a variety of aches and pains. Most people do. And many of them don’t adjust very well. They become cranky and grouchy, and seem to take no enjoyment in their remaining days.
Gus wasn’t that way at all. Just the opposite! Even until the day of his death, he was a jolly, loving, and sweet fellow, perhaps more so than he had ever been. I hope the same will one day be said of me—that as I approached death, my life reflected Christ more than ever before.
My mornings may be quieter without Gus, and I certainly miss his daily greeting. But maybe the silence will give me the opportunity to ponder the lessons he taught me and to ask myself if I’m growing in grace and love for the Lord and for His people. I pray God would make it so.
Excerpt from The “Thumbs-Up” Man, Roger Ellsworth and family, Great Writing Publications, used with permission.
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