“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” (Prov 12:10)
Hi, friends! It’s Lilly Doggins again. Mom said I could tell you more about our summer adventures. But first, I have to tell you something—I think my mom has lost her mind. She took me to the V-E-T again (she still thinks I can’t spell that word) to have my teeth cleaned. This’ll be the third trip this summer! I don’t know why I needed to have my teeth cleaned. I chew on DentaSticks every day. Just because my breath didn’t smell like roses before. It does now, and my pearly whites gleam. Friends, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I’d still appreciate your prayers for Mom to stop taking me to that place.
Well, in spite of the trips to the V-E-T, my mom and I have had lots of fun this summer. I stayed by myself with Grandmaw and Grandpaw for four whole days! Mom went to Minnesota, and she thought that was too far for me to ride. I like to ride in the car, but I don’t know where Minnesota is, so it must be far away. I don’t know how she had fun without me. I’m the life of the party!
But I digress. At first, I was sad when Mom didn’t come back right away, and I refused to eat. I moped and slept all day. But when I realized I was worrying my grandpawrents, I started eating again. Grandpaw appointed me to the outside supervisor position, and as a thank you, I took him for walks.
When Mom got back, we started walking through the neighborhood again. We used to walk a lot, but it’s been hot this summer. Mom got really mad at one of our neighbors for not keeping their dog inside or on a leash. I saw the dog sitting by the house, but Mom didn’t see it until it darted out to greet us. It was just a little bigger than me, but Mom didn’t like it getting so close. I heard her mutter things like “leash law” and “careless neighbors.”
The dog trotted up to me and we exchanged sniffs. I asked him where his leash was.
“What’s a leash?” he asked.
Mom scooped me up. I could tell she thought the dog’s bark was menacing, but he was just trying to answer my question. I wish she could speak dog. It would save a lot of misunderstandings.
“See this pink string from my collar to my mom’s hand? That’s a leash,” I told the neighbor dog.
“I don’t have one of those. My pawrents let me stay outside without one all I want. They know I won’t run away.” The dog pranced back and forth in front of us while Mom walked away as fast as her legs would carry us.
“Grrr,” I growled over her shoulder. What a braggart! Just because I’d tried to escape a few times when I was a young pupper. I’m older and wiser now, and I don’t ever want to leave Mom.
Because of the neighbor dog, Mom started varying our walking route. Friends, it is so exciting to explore new neighborhoods and read pee mail from different dogs every day. I wonder if I’ll ever get to meet any of them. They bark at me through the walls of their houses, but I just ignore them. Sometimes I see them through the windows. Their heads are as big as my whole body, but I’m not afraid! Especially since they’re inside and I’m not!
Mom says I have a “milestone birthday” on October 1. I’ll be 10! She says that makes me older than Grandmaw and Grandpaw in people years. They look young to me, and they’re still in good health, just like me. Maybe Mom’ll make me a special birthday treat with chicken and peanut butter…yum!
Dear Jesus, thank you for Lilly’s good health and the ability to take care of her and learn from her. Amen.