Best Friends Forever: Me and My Dog ()

Rebecca Currington

Description

The relationships between owners and their pets go well beyond basic companionship. Not only do they develop a special bond, but people can gain insights on life, faith, and love from their cats and dogs. These heartwarming collections include 40 meditations each and draw from real-life experiences with the authors' own pets as well as those of their family and friends. From Katrina survivor Bess to the phone-answering dog Jordy, from the kitten-tending grandpa cat to the lifelong camp resident Sylvester, each reading is sure to delight, encourage, and inspire.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 août 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441214331
• Langue: English

Extrait

Best Friends Forever: Me and My Dog What I’ve Learned About Life, Love, and Faith From My Dog Copyright 2010 © by GRQ, Inc. Brentwood, Tennessee 37027
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Scripture quotations noted CEV are from THE CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION. Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations noted MSG are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations noted NIV are from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (North American Edition)®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations noted NLT are from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW LIVING TRANSLATION, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. www.zondervan.com
Scriptures quotations noted NRSV are from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible. Copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
ISBN 978-1-4412-1433-1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Editor: Lila Empson Wavering Associate Editor: Natasha Sperling Manuscript written and compiled by Rebecca Currington in association with Snapdragon Group SM Design: Whisner Design Group
A man may smile and bid you hail yet wish you to the devil; but when a good dog wags his tail, you know he’s on the level. Author Unknown
To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring it was peace.

Milan Kundera
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Epigraph
Introduction
A Hand Up!
Far and Away!
Wind and Water
Check the Manual
Listen, Somebody’s Calling
Life Is Short Relatively Speaking
Lost and Found
Dog Behaving Badly
Grass Ball, Anyone?
Doggy in the Hood
Oh, to Be Near You
Altogether Different
The Call of the Wild
Pack Mentality
Never Too Old to Play
Water Dogs
The Power of Perky Persistence
Fear and Trembling
Lend Me Your Ear
Learning to Trust Again!
Death to the Cobra
Sheena the Great!
Hard Times, Soft Heart
The Best of Intentions
Love Without Limitations
Hey, Jordy, It’s for You!
We Call Her Jazzy
Let Me Be Your Eyes
Are You My Mother?
Anything for a Laugh
Three Good Legs
The Good Samaritan
Bonnie and Clyde
Who’s In Charge Here?
A Matter of Life and Death
Skin and Bones
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire
The Legend of TJ
Quantum Leaps
Forgive and Forget
Introduction
Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. Roger Caras
T here was a time when dogs were wild predators that roamed about the countryside in packs. But one day (who knows why) a dog wandered into or near a human campsite and was offered scraps to eat and allowed to sleep next to a warm fire. He must have been a sharp little guy because he realized right away that this gig was worlds better than running with the pack. All he had to do for his keep was be helpful, entertaining, and pleasant to be around. Thus began the long and mutually rewarding partnership between dog and human.
That alliance is still strong today. The Humane Society estimates that 39 percent of U.S. households have at least one dog. That comes to 74.8 million dogs. And according to the American Kennel Club, there are 150 registered breeds a dog for almost every purpose, or person, under heaven.
We adore our dogs for many reasons. They are warm, cuddly, happy creatures, loyal and protective, kind and hardworking. They accept us just as we are and love us unconditionally. They connect with us emotionally and teach us without saying a word. For all this, they ask very little, only what they have always asked for: the scraps from our tables and a safe place to sleep.
My parents bought me my first dog when I was just three years old, and since then, I have always had at least one canine companion in my life. Despite the years, I can still call them all by name and describe each one’s quirky personality traits. Each was, in his or her own way, unforgettable.
Best Friends Forever: Me and My Dog was inspired by the many dogs that have passed through my life and the lives of other dog lovers who have enthusiastically told me their stories. You will read about dogs that entertain, dogs that heal, dogs that work hard, dogs that fight for our freedom on foreign soil, dogs that survive unbelievable odds, and dogs that give their all for the humans they love.
I invite you to get comfortable with your favorite dog and allow each of these remarkable animals to walk off the pages of this book and into your heart.
He is very imprudent, a dog is. He never makes it his business to inquire whether you are in the right or in the wrong, never bothers as to whether you are going up or down life’s ladder, never asks whether you are rich or poor, silly or wise. You are his pal.

Jerome K. Jerome
A Hand Up!
None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody . . . bent down and helped us. Thurgood Marshall
A t some point in life, everyone needs a hand up, help recovering from some unfortunate circumstance, whether the result of one’s own poor choices or those of others. Unlike many humans, dogs are happy to take help from others. They appreciate the need for and the joy of being rescued.
Sophie is a rescue dog, though it isn’t quite clear if we rescued her or she rescued us. Maybe it was a little of both. Our journey began when some friends told us about an organization called ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation). Their kindhearted volunteers visit the pound looking for dogs they feel are healthy enough to survive and well adjusted enough to be adopted. ARF keeps the dogs until their health can be verified, provides them with shots, tattoos their inner thighs with an identification number, and adopts them out to qualified pet owners. After passing a rigorous competency evaluation (including a home visit), we were approved and waited eagerly for the call that came on a sunny afternoon in August.
Sophie, a blond cocker spaniel/Pekingese mix, burst into the waiting room at the ARF-sponsored animal clinic with her long, fluffy tail wagging. We gave her a good inspection, which wasn’t easy with all the jumping and twirling and licking that was going on; clearly she liked us. We noted her large curly ears, big brown eyes, and crooked grin, and we all agreed that she needed a French name. Anita, the ARF volunteer, just shook her head and smiled. She wasn’t seeing the French connection, but she was happy to go along. After leaning briefly toward Chéri or Monique, my daughter, Trish, and I settled on Sophie. She seemed to like it a lot! While the twenty-five-pound two-year-old sniffed our legs and licked our hands, the ARF volunteer filled us in on the circumstances of her rescue.

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. Mark Twain
Animal control officers had found Sophie wandering in a commercial area of the city. They guessed she had not been homeless long because she was clean and well-nourished and had tested negative for heartworm. There were no obvious signs of injury or abuse, and she was friendly to people. Surely she had been someone’s precious pet until some catastrophe put her out on the streets, nameless and alone. When rescued she had no collar or other form of identification, and no one came to ask about her. Animal control had knocked on doors and looked for her mug on missing-dog posters to no avail. Finally, after two months of care and observation, Sophie was ready to be placed with a new family, and we were thrilled to be the chosen ones.
These days Sophie rules the house. We love her despite her eccentricities. For example, I’ve never heard a dog make so much noise simply drinking from her water dish. On several occasions, she has gotten away from me and made a beeline for the golf course across the street. Dragging her leash and darting from golfer to golfer, she ran me in circles until some kindhearted soul reached down and snagged her for me. And then there’s the fact that Sophie loves to eat grass. She looks it over carefully, nudges it with her paw, and sniffs it first. Clover is her favorite. Her technique might be compared to that of a connoisseur searching out truffles or rare mushrooms, at least in terms of zeal.

You defended me. When I was fenced in, you freed and rescued me because you love me. Psalm 18:18–19 CEV
We can’t imagine our lives without Sophie. She brings a hearty serving of love and laughter to our home every day. Sometimes we see her staring off into space and wonder if she is having a flashback from her life before she came to us. If she is remembering a life now lost to her, she doesn’t let it get her down. She just seems glad to have been rescued.
That’s one of the big differences between dogs and people. Our four-legged friends have no problem accep