Dogs -- bundles of gratitude

Golden retriever gives love in a nursing home

Over a period of weeks, I visited a friend in a nursing home, and Snowflake the white poodle-mix greeted me in anything but a friendly way. Her tiny body bounced into the air with each defensive woof. I like dogs, but decided not to push this relationship. There was something going on that I wasn’t privy to, and I decided to leave whatever it was in God’s gentle and caring hands.

One day one of the nurses told me the dog’s story. The nursing staff had adopted Snowflake when her original owner, a client there, passed on. Then Cindy arrived. Cindy was legally blind, yet maneuvered around the building pretty well with her walker. Snowflake felt Cindy's need for security and immediately attached herself to her. Cindy was delighted with her new buddy. Well, that’s good, I thought. “God sets the solitary in families.”

Each time I came to visit my friend, Cindy and Snowflake were there, usually settled on the living room couch. Often as not Snowflake lay draped across Cindy’s lap. When Cindy used her walker to go to the bathroom, Snowflake trotted faithfully behind her. She pasted herself to the closed bathroom door until Cindy came out. The little dog didn’t bark at me anymore, but she still eyed me cautiously.

One day as I walked from the study to my friend’s room, Snowflake came dashing towards me. Then back to the doorway, then towards me. She was clearly anxious about something. I followed her and found Cindy standing with her walker at the front door.

I greeted Cindy, asked where she was headed, turned her back in the right direction, and made sure she navigated the proper corners. As I bent down to retie my shoe, little aloof Snowflake galloped over and vigorously licked my hand as if to say, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Smiling in amazement I suddenly understood the fierce devotion of this little curly-haired bundle to her mission. Her life purpose was as Cindy’s guardian and protector. And she was generously acknowledging my small part in assisting her.

Spontaneous gratitude is one of the most heartfelt expressions of being alive that I know. Who can say a grateful animal is not expressing the highest intelligence?

All of God's creatures,

moving in the harmony of Science,

are harmless, useful, indestructible.