A Dog's Life

In the thirty six seconds between her last bout of cold and flu and this new bout of cold and flu, Asherel went to her Advanced Handling Dog Agility class. Since it was a bit of a stretch for her to be in the class and due to illness she had not worked with her dog Honeybun for a month, and her health was tottering on awful Wednesday night, I was not expecting great things.

Honeybun did surprisingly well since food was involved. This once starving dog will do almost anything for food. But the dog that really caught my eye, and ear, was the class leader Polly's border collie. This little dynamo watched the other dogs as they sprinted and leapt over the course, straining eagerly forward on his leash. His tail never stopped wagging and he barked the entire time, begging, beseeching, demanding his turn. Polly's husband Doug was much more sedate and relaxed, and would amble to the course, the eager collie cavorting with joy when his turn finally arrived. Doug would jog along, waving his hand and giving commands, but the collie would blaze ahead of him, guessing which way to jump. The dog's tail was flapping back and forth as he sailed delightedly over the jumps. And then he had to sit and wait his turn again, and he would once more watch the other dogs rapturously, barking and reminding us his turn must be soon!

Felled by illness, overwhelmed by work we need to catch up on, and worried over the myriad health issues right now of my college boy, if I were a dog, I would be under the bed, one paw over my eye hoping the world would turn for a few times without noticing me. I keep picturing the joie de vivre of that border collie, begging to do what he was made to do. Inspiration can come from so many places, and this morning, my inspiration to leap into the day with joy in my heart comes from a dog who could not wait to tackle life.

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.