“SECOND CHANCES FOR DOGS AND OTHER CRITTERS”
I don’t suppose that this comes as a total surprise, but I am not always a good person. I’m a much better man than I used to be, but sometimes the old me makes an appearance.
So, last night I lost my temper with our one-year-old-still-a-chewy-puppy. Why?
There was one “reason” in the puppy’s behavior, and a whole raft of (non) “reasons” in me. The dog chewed up some things, most notably an insert from my wife’s shoe.
What about the (non)reasons in me? I was mad at myself because I hadn’t closed and latched the bedroom door when I was putting the sheets on the bed, which had allowed her puppyhood in. I was angry because I had eaten a whole bunch of sweets. I was angry because . . ., oh, who knows why I was angry! I was just plain angry!
Now, of course dogs—especially puppies—do chew things up. It’s what they do. However, this seemed a little more important to me because we are planning to visit friends in West Virginia in a few days. I don’t want Laylah chewing our hosts out of house and home.
So, after I had smacked Laylah on the nose (not hard enough to make her yelp, thank God!), I put the dog in the crate for a little while, stormed into the living room, where my wife was watching “The Voice,” and announced, in no uncertain terms that Laylah was not going with us. We would either leave her in the kennel, or we just wouldn’t go!
Then I stormed back to my desk to read a book about how to understand the Bible better.
After I had calmed down a bit, I let Laylah out of the crate, and she scooted into the living room and jumped up on the recliner to be with my wife, to be with someone who loves her.
Later, on my way upstairs, I had to pass through the living room. This ended up taking a bit longer than I had thought it would. From the recliner, two sets of eyes were looking at me with a heart-melting mixture of accusation and the desire for mercy. Laylah didn’t say much, but my wife said, “Everybody deserves a second chance.”
And, of course, she was right. How many chances has my sweetheart given me? I’ve lost track, but it’s a lot. Laylah is going with us.
Do you need a second chance? Or, perhaps, a 2,000,000th chance?
Well, join the club! It’s a very large one, but there is room for you. If there’s room for Laylah and me, there’s room for anyone.
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