God uses pets to change lives in profound ways
The dog days of summer have a new meaning this year. Since March's stay-at-home situation, more and more tails have been joyfully wagging. Our dog, Maggie, is loving every minute of having more time with her people. It's her new normal, and she is hoping it will never change. Many friends who haven't had pets, have gotten them or have plans to add a puppy soon.
Whatever is this connection between “man and dog?” It's not our imagination. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weighs in on the benefit, saying “the bond between people and their pets can increase fitness, lower stress and bring happiness to their owners.”
If there is a physical and emotional advantage, is there a spiritual component?
Pet ownership must offer something of value, otherwise why would we voluntarily put ourselves through chewed shoes, ruined carpet, sleepless nights and, in many cases, significant expense? All that for a loving look and friendly nudge that expresses unconditional love.
I could find nothing biblical about loving a pet. And yet, don't we just know that it's in God's design? That receiving and giving love that grows our heart has to be part of God's plan for us.
Beyond our joy, God uses pets to change lives in profound ways.
My godchild, Jane Sholer, suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident many years ago. She says her pets, especially her dog Bailey, have been her lifeline, the loving companion that has shared everything during her difficult adjustment to life as she's grown from an active young adult to a life with restricted mobility.
How many elderly people are totally alone in their homes except for that pet? And what a difference dogs have made for a prison program that began at Lexington Correctional Facility under the leadership of Sister Pauline Quinn and veterinarian Dr. John Otto in 1996.
Taking discarded, second chance dogs into a program to be trained by inmates who themselves become changed and restored. The dogs and men share their lives for months until the dog is welltrained and ready to serve a family or in some cases a whole
organization, like a Veterans Center. The bottom-line observation is that love is healing for everyone involved.
That is the nature of love, isn't it? Played out in our relationships with pets, we get to experience something we see too little of — a reason to laugh, undeserved forgiveness and outrageous love.
If you're alone, they offer companionship. If you're insecure, they offer a non-critical relationship. If you're sad, they share your grief. I have no doubt they are God's gift — intended for us to love and enjoy. Not everyone is called to have a pet in their home, but we can all appreciate God's creatures and creation and find something outside ourselves to love.
Sister Pauline said, “If you can't get God in your life, bring a dog in there, because the word dog is God spelled backwards.”
“And God saw everything that He had made and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31