Puppies, Pets and Little Boys….

Puppies, Pets and Little Boys….

Our oldest “boy” (he’s actually a 21 year-old young man) approached me last night about the possibility of getting another puppy. I though it was some sort of sick “Covid-19” joke. We have our hands full with four dogs an Arctic wolf and the seven people that now live here with big appetites. We’re living through a pandemic, for crying out loud..

But he was serious. After getting a Pit-bull mix less than two years ago, now he wants another one, albeit a puppy, for the purpose of one day breeding the two and selling the puppies. It seems madness to me, but he rarely asks for things for himself, so we’re “talking” about it. But I know it’s not a good idea.

Simultaneously, and truly coincidentally, the other three boys have all been dreaming of their own puppies as well. To make all four boys in my home happy, i.e. acquiring four new puppies in the house, I would be ready to seek quarantine. So I must carefully navigate what all four young men are wanting versus what is really needed. But I have noticed, over many years, that people that are kind to animals are most often kind to people, and people that are cruel to animals are almost always also cruel to people. Watching my sons hug, pet, spoil and give little treats to the dogs we have reminds me that there is purpose and meaning for all God’s creations and creatures. Truly, He reveals His nature and His glory in His created order-even with dogs and puppies (I am not sure about cats and kittens).

Puppies are adorable and we want to pick them up and love them. Why is that? My sons are instinctively drawn to the innocence, gentleness and frailty of a small puppy. Something within them wants to protect them, provide for them, speak to them gently and cuddle them. I have seen children that are unable to accept a touch or give a hug to an adult find it quite easy to pet and hug a pet.

Now dogs were despised by the ancient Hebrews as well as the folks of Jesus’ time, so I don’t want to draw attempt too many analogies here, but there is “divine revelation” (e.g. the holy scripture, the prophetic word, miracles, and of course Jesus Christ) and there is “natural revelation”, (rainbows, sunsets, the majesty of nature——and puppies). Frankly I get more headway in explaining God and His love for man with puppies than I do trying to explain the synoptic gospels or systematic theology with the boys in my home. I thank God for puppies and the natural things He provides to help hapless dads like me.

It looks like we’ll be getting another puppy this weekend………..