Learning to Trust

This past weekend marked the one year mark with Lucy. Lucy is our German Shorthair Pointer. Living with her around has been quite an adventure. Before getting her, Nick spent many hours on the website petfinder.com. He would look at pictures and stories of dogs in need of a home. Many times, I would look too. However, the prospect that many of these dogs will be euthanized before getting a home would always push me away from the computer. My emotions would overwhelm me. Finally, Nick felt moved to call about one dog, a sad-looking GSP whose status had changed to **URGENT**. (That is the petfinder language for imminent death.)  We decided to arrange to get her, admitting that if it didn't work out, we could take her to a no-kill shelter. As we picked her up after her journey from Western Kansas to KC. (Thankfully a shelter worker was coming to visit his family in KC. He was also the one that kept her alive nearly 2 weeks past the normal routine.) I wish we would have do wnloaded the picture that was on the web. She was scared, balled-up in her cage. When we picked her up, we saw something different...

Lucy is a beautiful dog. She is curious, playful, and demanding of attention. She could cuddle for hours and if you move, she moves to get closer.  At first, she ran out the door every chance she got. She really loves to run. In the past year, she had learned to come when we call her. I cannot remember the number of times we ran after her, usually getting a phone call from some kind stranger who grabbed her. She still runs, but she runs knowing that we love her and take care of her. We go to the park each day and she plays off leash and comes when she is called.  A year seems to be the mark of true trust. We worked with her, and worked with her, and worked with her. Lucy has been reminded in all our actions that we are not giving her up and that we are her people.  Even now, I am sitting on the couch with Chaco at one end (the lab/pointer mix I've had for 7 years) and Lucy half-way laying on me with her chin in my elbow. We are a happy little bunch! 

It takes much longer to undo pain that it does to inflict it. In her short life, Lucy was undoubtedly abused, had a litter of pups, and lived her life in a small cage. Thankfully, we got the chance to teach her about being a dog, about having a human family, and being loved! How many dogs, how many people never learn these lessons. We are so quick to dismiss broken humans who make bad decisions as "bad people." I believe that if no one loves us the way we should be loved, that if we are broken and not loved back together, that we cannot be the best person we ought to be. God expects us to be the people who share love and help develop trust in the world. So, whether it's a Lucy or a new friend, I am working for trust and sharing what God's has instilled in me. Love and Trust.