DOG ON A MISSION

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Buddy, or the dog we would ultimately named Buddy, wandered up in our yard in the Spring of 1996. She, (for Buddy was a female), would remain with us for ten years.

Almost from Day 1, Buddy was a dog on a mission.

I wasn’t keen on having a dog inside my home, not even a cute little white and auburn Shih Tzu. As a result, I initially kept our dear little Buddy in the garage for several days. To be sure, it was Winter, the garage wasn’t hot at the time, and we kept the light on. However, all these years later I feel badly for having consigned the precious pooch to the garage that week. Nevertheless, it must have been a matter of Providence since on the second or third day she was in the garage, we heard her barking. It was already dark, and I thought I should avoid opening the front door to find out what she was upset about. However, the next day I discovered oily footprints just outside the garage door. Had Buddy not been on the other side of that door, and had she not begun barking, well, I don’t know what the intruder might have done.

Fast forward a few years, and our daughter was experiencing marital issues. “Margaret” had moved in with us, and during her stay our little Buddy spent a great deal of time in her bedroom. As I recall, Marge was especially upset one day, and lay in the bed crying. I had a habit of taking Buddy to the post office with me, and on that particular day, I stepped to the open bedroom door, and said, “Buddy, wanna go?” Normally, those three words did the trick, and I didn’t have to ask twice. However, this time around the little Shih Tzu continued to lay on the floor next to our daughter, and refused to come with me.

Fast forward another couple of years, and Buddy began following my wife around the house. Where she went, Buddy went. Of course, researchers have long known that a dog’s sense of smell is hundreds of times more developed, than that of a human being, and the tendency of a dog to follow it’s owner around the house is a very strong clue that something is not right. As a result of Buddy’s newfound tendency, and “Joyce” just not feeling well in general, I urged her to contact her doctor for a complete physical, including a mammogram. The mammogram detected the presence of a small malignant tumor which was on the verge of breaking through the duct; which would have resulted in rapid growth and metastasis throughout her body.

 

And in retrospect, I believe, (as strange as it might seem), that God appointed Buddy for her mission. Whereas, some people, including believers, never fulfill the mission for which God appointed them; which makes it ironic that a four footed creature fulfilled her destiny better than some people ever will.

A dog on a mission

by William McDonald, PhD