SIL - Jan/Feb 2020

Everyday Adventures
For the Love
of Dogs
Five years ago my family blackmailed
me into getting a dog. They
threatened me with a rabbit. If I
didn’t cave on the dog, we would
have a long-eared carrot chomper stinking
up a cage in my daughter’s bedroom.
I wasn’t about to let that happen.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to see
a cute bunny hopping around the yard
as much as the next person. I just didn’t
want one as a roommate. If we had a big
house or a basement or a barn, it would
be a different story, but we don’t. When
it came to Peter Cottontail, our house just
wasn’t big enough for the both of us.
But a dog? I love dogs. I love them
so much I’ve had my heart broken more
times than I care to remember when I’ve
had to say goodbye. Honestly, I didn’t
want to go through that again, especially
with kids. Not only would I be an emotional
wreck, but I’d have a house full of
heartbreak on my hands.
Besides that fact, I knew who
changed the litter box. I had a pretty good
hunch that the same guy would end up
doing most of the walking, pooper scooping
and cleaning up messes left behind
this furry tornado. As much fun as all of
that sounded, I just didn’t think I could
take on any more pet butler responsibilities.
But then my six-year-old, the baby
of the family, really went to work on me,
and I knew I couldn’t hold out for long.
Owning a dog was the greatest dream of
her life, and Bring Your Pet to School day
was just around the corner. I just couldn’t
see us hauling our fat, white cat into her
classroom where he’d either scratch someone
or pee in the corner. Probably both.
Then my wife played the trump
card. The bunny. If we couldn’t handle
a dog, we would just have to get a rabbit.
The next thing I knew we were looking at
a litter of puppies.
46 • Jan/Feb 2020 • Southern Indiana Living
My daughter picked a tiny fuzzball
named Panda, and I was determined not
to get too attached. That lasted about five
seconds. Now she sleeps between my feet
every night.
All of my gloom-and-doom prophecies
came true. She had accidents all over
the house, raided the trash, barked all
hours of the night and made the cat such a
nervous wreck he started marking his territory,
all of which meant more work for
me.
But now, five years later, no one
loves that dog more than I do. My family
might argue that point, but Panda and
I both know the truth. I’m the one who
hung out with her in the backyard at 3:00
in the morning when she got into a bag
of chocolate. I’m the one who rushed
her to the vet when she got a fishhook in
her paw. And someday, hopefully many,
many years from now, I will probably be
the one who will walk with her in the very
end.
Yes, I know she’s just a dog, but over
the past five years she’s taught me a lot
about love. Love isn’t a feeling. It’s a
commitment. It’s being willing to do the
hard stuff, the messy stuff and even the
painful stuff that comes from sacrificing
for the good of someone else.
That’s what God did for us, not because
we’re his pets but because we’re his
creation. No one coerced him to love us.
It was all his idea. Knowing the messes
we would cause, knowing the trouble
we would make and even knowing how
much he would have to sacrifice for us, he
chose to love us anyway.
Of course the love we have for our
pets or even the greater love we demonstrate
for family and friends doesn’t even
come close to comparing to the love God
Don’t get me wrong, I love to see a cute bunny
hopping around the yard as much as the next
person. I just didn’t want one as a roommate.
has for us. But it does remind us that love
costs something. It’s inconvenient. It’s
messy. It’s painful.
Yet, for whatever reason, God
thought you and I were worth it. Not because
of anything we do for him, but because
his love makes us worthy. •
Pictured: Panda, playing keep away with her new found
toy - a wet paint stirring stick.
Jason Byerly is a writer, pastor, husband and
dad who loves the quirky surprises God sends
his way every day. You can read more from
Jason in his books Tales from the Leaf Pile and
Holiday Road. You can catch up with Jason on
his blog at www.jasonbyerly.com.