A Boy Needs A Dog

A boy without a dog… a sad story.

Hopefully … there are three boys that enjoy these three handsome dogs. See story below…

 Doose, Teal, and Timber   (Photo courtesy of: Heather Stilwell Bicker)

It just hit me, I am a boy that just turned 69 years old and I never owned a dog.
I think I missed something, maybe a lot. A few years back when I was complaining about some business problem, a friend of mine said… “get a dog”. I didn’t understand what he meant. Somehow today, my birthday, I think I now understand.

You see, a dog isn’t on earth for himself; he is here for you and for me. He is one of God’s gifts to teach us how to be responsible, how to care for others, how to nurture, feed and encourage. He teaches us about patience, fun, enthusiasm, spirit, energy and most of all, unconditional love.

Truth be known, my eldest brother loved all animals. And, we did have a family dog that was mostly his. I kept away from the dog, not wanting to become responsible for the work. Though, I did love seeing the puppies arrive. Maybe I should have kept one of those puppies for my very own. Surely it is about 60 years too late now.

Maybe a lesson to learn? A boy becomes a man, no way out of it. And, a boy needs to learn a lot to become the great, caring, strong man he wants to be. A boy can learn a lot from his dog. And, he doesn’t need to explain, or argue, or prove, or promote. His dog will be on his side, regardless of the challenge. A boy can always be himself as he grows and learns about becoming a man… his dog will always be his best friend and teach him the ropes.

If you know a boy that needs a dog, encourage him. Help him “get a dog” before its too late.

[Maybe, it’s never to late to learn… from our loving dogs.}