Thankful to have had the love of a dog

Have you seen the bumper sticker that somewhat sarcastically displays the prayer, “Lord, help me to be the person my dog thinks I am?”

It is interesting how loyal a dog can be and how close people can get to their dogs.

Unfortunately this past week we needed to put our pet yellow lab of 14 and a half years to sleep. This was not easy. Susitna, or Sue, has grown with our family. She would chase a ball till her legs fell off. She would curl up with a child or our cat. Sue would nuzzle a person to get some attention and her ear scratched. She greeted the neighbors with a bark, and a welcome.

And perhaps best of all Sue loved to go fishing. She would go in a boat on the river and fish for salmon, or run along the bank. Sue would curl up in the bottom of the canoe to go trout fishing. She would run to various lakes and spend time on the ice exploring the woods and waiting for a fish to be caught.

I remember the night on Sheep Creek that my son, Josh, and I were fishing and Sue bit the lure as it was cast. A king salmon also chomped down on my hand with its teeth as I took the fish out of the net and released it back in the water. So, that’s the night “I caught a dog and got bit by a fish.” (Ahem)

Perhaps you can tell that Sue and I had a special relationship. She would listen to me where she wouldn’t listen to others. She would follow me wherever I went if she could. That’s why it was difficult to take her to the veterinarian on Tuesday. But, Sue had gotten to a point where she had trouble standing. Sometimes she fell and couldn’t get up. She had multiple other health problems including frequent bleeding. After visiting the doctor we came to believe that it was the kindest thing to do to stop her suffering.

It was not an easy day. Susitna, Sue, had brought the love of a dog to so much of our family. I had multiple family members tell me they were praying for me. When others heard of the events of the day I had many, many, expressions of sympathy. Others told me they had been led to tears.

So, while dogs and other animals are part of God’s good creation, the love he calls for is love for himself and love for our neighbors. In Matthew 22:37-39 we are told, 37 Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

We love our pets and animals. Do we love God and do we love other people as well?

I was amazed, not so much at my difficulty, but with the outpouring of sympathy and concern. If only we showed love and compassion to each other in this way, imagine how much sweeter life would be. Amazingly, God sent his son from heaven to earth and has loved us sacrificially. Maybe the prayer on the bumper sticker should read, “Lord, let me love others the way my dog loves me.”

Jonathan Rockey is pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer. Contact him at jonrock53@mtaonline.net.

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