Man’s Best Friend: Life Lessons From My Dog

Man’s Best Friend

There’s a reason they say a dog is a man’s best friend. Who else can give you unconditional love, companionship, and immediate forgiveness when you’re the one clearly in the wrong?

I grew up surrounded by dogs and naturally developed a love for these sweet animals at a very young age. Each and every dog my family ever owned became such an important part of our family. They were each unique in their own special way with some pretty cute quirks about them. Although their character traits and temperaments varied there was one thing they all had in common: they would do absolutely anything for their “people”- us.

God made these gentle creatures with a remarkable ability to see the very best in us, even when we’re at our very worst.

So, I’m sure you can imagine how ecstatic I was when my husband agreed that it was time for us to get a dog of our own just a couple of months into our marriage! I had literally been waiting for this moment for years, but simply couldn’t afford the extra expense while working my way through college. Once he gave me the green light I immediately began my search at the local shelters and rescues. There were so many precious dogs out there with so much love to give just hoping for someone to love them in return.

He’s The One

While at an adoption event at the shelter one weekend we were given a black binder to look through with photos of available dogs that weren’t able to make it to the event.  My husband showed me a little black puppy and asked what I thought of him. He was a cutie! We scheduled a home visit within a week or so and got to meet the handsome pup we saw in the picture. His name was Sam. And he was about to change our lives.

Upon meeting Sam for the first time I realized that some puppies have more energy than any I’d ever grown up with. I think the best way to describe my reaction to his special kind of energy level would be to simply say Wow! Sam was a very happy little guy! He also LOVED to give kisses! Despite his obvious enormous amounts of energy, we were quite taken and he came to live with us a few days later!

Now for those of you who’ve never owned a Pitbull/ Labrador mix puppy you may think that this is the beginning of a fairy tale “man’s best friend” story. Well, it isn’t. Those first 6 months were rough! No one ever told me that a 6 month old, 50 pound dog, could be so unbelievably strong, stubborn, and active!

A Few Minor Adjustments

Let’s just say that when it was time for a walk, he was always the one taking me on a walk. He ferociously attacked and defeated every new toy we bought him within hours of us handing it to him. And he was quite fond of voicing his disapproval of our leaving the house without him and getting us into trouble with our condo association. However, the more my husband and I bonded with Sam and deepened our trust with him and vice versa, the more we realized what a genuinely sweet boy we had rescued.

Sam loved going to my husband’s softball games and soaking up all the attention. He thoroughly enjoyed playing Frisbee in the small nearby field. When we moved into a larger home a little over a year later and welcomed our first child, he took his role of big brother very seriously. It seemed to be instinctive for him to be gentle with children. He was incredible with our baby girl! It didn’t take long for Sam and our daughter to become best buddies. They were inseparable during those first few years.

As much as I like to reminisce about Sam’s sweet nature, crazy amounts of energy, and funny personality, I’m also reminded of how much about life he taught me in his 8 short years.

Sam taught me…

1. To Forgive

As a young mom there were times when I became frustrated at trying to cook a meal in a noisy atmosphere with children needing my attention and a dog repeatedly tripping me. I would sometimes lose my patience with Sam and tell him to leave the kitchen. He always quickly obeyed and never held a grudge at my lack of gentleness in the matter.

There were times that life was very busy with two active children to take care of and Sam didn’t always get as much attention as he deserved. He still chose to forgive me. Over and over he forgave me when I was the one who had done him wrong.

Why can’t we just choose to forgive others when they’ve wronged us without ever expecting anything in return or harboring bitterness in our hearts? How would this change us if we let go of our anger and humbly admitted that we mess up too?

2. To Be Loyal

Sam’s devotion to our family was a beautiful sight to see. There was nothing we could have ever done to make him love us any less. He wasn’t only happy to be with us when everything was going smoothly. He also wanted to be there when we were hurting. Sam could easily sense when I was having a rough day, and would gently place his head in my lap to comfort me. He didn’t retreat in the chaotic moments, but remained faithfully by my side.

We need to remain faithful to those that God has graciously placed in our own lives. Faithful to have eyes and hearts only for our spouse. Faithful to raise our children to the very best of our ability. Faithful to work diligently for our employer. Faithful to help our friends who may let us down. Faithful to our God who never will.

3. To Smile

I know that we don’t often think of dogs as having the ability to smile, but Sammy did. After enjoying some outside play his long tongue would fall out the side of his mouth and he would just smile! His sweet look of pure contentment had this way of putting a smile of my face as well.

How different would life be if we simply chose to look others in the eye? Give them a nice smile? Say hello as we are passing them in the grocery store or walking down the sidewalk? We have no idea what others are dealing with in life. Our smile could be just what they need to make them feel noticed or brighten their day.

4. To Be Humble

Sammy was a pretty funny boy and craved adventure. A favorite form of entertainment for him as a young man was to chase other critters, most notably squirrels. I remember arriving home from work one day to take him outside to go to the restroom. I knew he most likely had been holding it for a while so I didn’t see the need to change out of my dress and high heels.

Our condo didn’t have much of a backyard so I would always leash him up and take him across the street near the association pool to relieve himself. This area just happened to be on a slight hill which was never of much concern until this one particular day. While Sammy was sniffing for the perfect spot I got a bit distracted. Then all of this sudden the leash yanked, he pulled with all of his might, and ran as fast as he could! With me still holding on dragging the ground behind him! In my dress and heels!… You guessed it. He had spotted a squirrel!

I took a pretty big trip to humble town that day. Although I definitely wasn’t feeling it at the time, I’m grateful for the moments in life that we are truly humbled. The moments we realize we are tremendously blessed and come nowhere near deserving the good in our lives. The moments we remember to keep our focus off of ourselves and onto serving and helping those in need and lifting each other up. Life is not about us.

5. To Be Patient

Toddlers are very curious little people. My son had a tendency to occasionally pull Sam’s tail or attempt to ride him like a pony. (Fully grown Sam was a big guy at 90 pounds). Sammy never flinched, whined, or even made an attempt to get away. It was as if he understood that my son wasn’t trying to hurt him and didn’t fully understand what he was doing.

In all honesty my dog often had a lot more patience with my children than I did. Sam taught me to remember that my children are just children. Although they very much need my discipline and guidance they equally need me to show them grace. There are so many things in life they can’t yet fully understand. It is my job and privilege as their mother to lovingly and patiently teach them.

6. To See the Best In Others

If it were up to him every single person Sam ever met would’ve been his best friend. He absolutely loved people! He loved making others feel like they were the most important person on the planet. He loved showering them with kisses. I don’t think he was even capable of seeing our flaws, and if he did he simply chose to focus on our good qualities instead.

Can you imagine how different life would be if we consistently chose to see the very best in others and give them the benefit of the doubt? I believe this one simple act could impact us in a much greater way than we realize and foster a greater amount of appreciation and respect for others.

7. To Be Kind and Gentle

After he got over his initial energetic puppy years Sam was a pretty laid back boy. This led him to view the world through a less hurried lens. He looked at the world around him as one big opportunity to show people kindness. I will always remember his gentle demeanor.

What if we saw our lives as an opportunity to show others kindness through our words and actions? To be a light in the darkness? To be gentle with those whom the world says are not worthy or those who mistreat us?

8. To Enjoy God’s Creation

It is so easy to become wrapped up in the busyness of our lives and neglect the beauty around us that was meant for us to enjoy… the beauty of God’s creation that evokes such peace, calm, contentment, and joy. Sam was an all-around lover of the outdoors. He loved to soak up the warm sunny rays in our backyard with a frolicky roll in the grass here and there.

I have fond memories of him happily running along the beach with a giant stick in his mouth on vacation. I remember hearing the sweet giggles of my daughter as he bathed her in extra kisses while we sat on our deck to enjoy the afternoon sunshine. Sam was the first to introduce us to the joys of family walks– a tradition we’ve kept for over 8 years. This time together is often our family’s favorite part of the day.

Would we be less stressed and overwhelmed in life if we simply slowed down and took time to appreciate the quiet calm of nature?

9. To Cherish Family Time

I rarely ever saw Sam hanging out in a room by himself. His heart was with his family and he always wanted to be with us. I think part of this stemmed from his desire to protect us at all costs. However, I believe an even larger part came from the unconditional love he held for each member of our family. He couldn’t help but desire to spend as much time with us as he could.

There are times in life that we can all genuinely use a break. But how often is our “need” for a break nothing more than us being a bit selfish and wanting some “me” time? I know I am guilty of this.

Friend, the truth is that we often become distracted with things that hold little value and neglect those of greatest value.

Our time with our family truly is precious and goes by so quickly. Mommas, we will wake up one day and desperately miss our days of endless diaper changes and games of hide-n-seek. We will miss hearing little feet running down the hall and sweet giggles of pure delight. May we see our time together as the blessing it really is and learn to cherish these fleeting moments.

10. To Remember That Life Is Short

One day last summer Sam stopped eating. Several vet trips and tests later we discovered that he had cancer. To say that I was unprepared to hear these words is an understatement. I had always imagined Sammy having at least 12 years in him. We were supposed to have four more years together. I was heartbroken.

Sam was our first “child”. He taught my husband and I how to be parents. He was such an integral part of our family. I prayed that God would give us some extra time with Sam before we had to say goodbye. He graciously answered and gave us four weeks together.

Despite all of the changes and discomfort he experienced, Sam remained our sweet, gentle, happy, big hearted boy until the very end. There are no words to describe how difficult it was to say goodbye. Yet at the same time my heart was filled with abundant gratitude for all of the amazing years we did have together.

Man’s Best Friend, Indeed

I had the privilege of being Sammy’s “person”.  He was rarely more than a few feet away from me and would often position himself so that he could touch me in some way. It was as if his sole purpose in life was to love and protect me.

It’s been eight months since he left us and my heart is still healing. 

There will never be another Sam.

But I can’t help but think that God, in his wisdom and goodness, created dogs for the purpose of loving us regardless of our imperfections and teaching us what is most important in life.

And going back to the question of “Who else can give you unconditional love, companionship, and immediate forgiveness when you’re the one clearly in the wrong?” There is someone else… Jesus.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•