The Inspiration of a New Dog

I once wrote a devotion for our popular annual devotional book, Daily Guideposts, full of inspiring personal stories, about a neighbor of mine who was terrified of dogs. He was a shy, quiet sort to begin with but dogs struck terror in his heart. Yorkie or mastiff, it didn’t matter. "It’s not your dogs, it’s me!" he’d cry.

So I always tried to stay clear of him with all my dogs ... Rudy and Sally and especially my giant Lab, Marty; we’d be sure to cross the street or wait for another elevator.

Then came Millie, who was having none of it. The neighbor was just as afraid of my lovely, creamy golden retriever puppy. He would retreat at the sight of her, but Millie would persist, gently, slowly, head lowered, eyes soft and reassuring. She understood his fear and knew there was no need for it. She wouldn’t give up on showing my neighbor he had nothing to be afraid of and slowly, miraculously, she won his heart.

Within a few weeks he was down on his haunches hugging her and being dog-kissed all over his face. A few months later he adopted his own dog from a New York shelter. He met someone while he was walking his dog and, well, you know the rest. They moved out and are living happily ever after.

Dogs change our lives. They make us more human. They touch places only they can. They understand you in ways you will never understand. And they love in a way only they can love. Getting a dog is one of the things in your life that you never, ever forget.

Guideposts has produced a really terrific digizine about the joys of getting a dog, full of incredible inspiring true stories of folks whose lives have been touched and transformed, for whom owning a dog unlocked a joy they had never known, a joy that could only come from the source of all deep and meaningful joy.

So please check out this new digizine. It’s free and I know you will love it (and share it!). And that’s what dogs are all about. Love.

Meanwhile here’s a picture from a couple of hours ago of Millie tackling South Mountain on the Appalachian Trail.