The Blessing of Pets

I grew up on a farm in Central Iowa. We didn't have close neighbors; there were no other kids to play with. So I improvised. My dog and cats and Daddy's horses were my playmates. I spent hours with them, talking to them, loving them. They never rejected me - oh, maybe Daddy's horse "Chip" did, whenever I wanted to ride him, but the other animals did not.

My black cat, Angel, was a busy mouser and mother. She was an outdoor cat but I encouraged her to live in the house whenever I could. When she had her babies even my mother welcomed her to nest inside the front porch for awhile. I loved on her a lot, stroking her silky black coat and teasing her with yarn or toys. She would wind around Mama's ankles as she hung out the laundry or worked in the garden, and she spent hours stretched out on the front step, soaking up sunshine.

One of my true companions as a young teen was "Charlie Brown". He was a mutt, part collie and part German shepherd? He came as a puppy and became a best friend for what seems like a short time. We would go up and down our long lane, visit the horses together and sit in the sun. But, Charlie loved to chase cars on our gravel road. One day the unspeakable happened. We had ridden down the lane like usual to get the mail. Charlie took off after a car and ended up getting hit and died. Right before my eyes. I remember just standing there, crushed. The fellow in the car got out and dragged Charlie to the side of the road. I got back on my bike and rode to the house, crying all the way. Then I just sat on the front step until Mama asked me what was wrong.

Solomon wrote, "I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return,"" (Ecclesiastes 3:18-20 NIV).

Any true dog or cat lover will tell you their past pets are in heaven. I don't have an answer for that but I do believe that God sends us pets for a reason. It won't surprise me to see Cotton, Checkers, Charlie Brown, Major, Sparky, Lou, Bella, Angel, and Allie on the streets of heaven. Love-giving animals are a blessing. Give yours a hug for me today.