Age thirteen/fourteen is a difficult time of life for many girls with its painfully complex social milieu. At this age, my youngest daughter found herself in a dark place feeling broken, isolated and unsure not only that she would survive but thinking maybe she didn’t want to go on. Like all parents, I prayed mightily that the Lord would guide my children and guide me. One sleepless night I was pleading with the Lord to help me know what to do to help her. A couple hours before dawn, the thought came into my head, “Get her a puppy.”
“But I don’t want a dog,” I thought.
“Then don’t ask,” Heavenly Father replied.
The idea ran through my head as I waited for my husband to wake up. A dog is a devoted creature, always glad to see you. A dog needs care, time to play and explore and run which requires his owner to give of their time and efforts. Giving service, even to an animal, pulls us away for our own pain. We come to love that which we sacrifice for and that which we love gives us a reason to get up in the morning and face the day. The Lord knew my daughter and he knew she needed a dog. As soon as my husband awoke, I told him I thought we should get a dog.
“I don’t want a dog,” responded my husband, reminding me that we had decided not to replace the dog that had passed away a year or so ago. I explained to him my experience with prayer and he said, “Then you better act on it.”
I asked my daughter that morning what she thought about getting a puppy and she was non-committal. I found out that Petsmart was holding its once-a-month pet adoptions that Saturday morning. We walked into Petsmart and a golden ball of fur with a purple collar caught her eye. She picked him up and he immediately snuggled into her shoulder. It was the dog that had been born to be her companion. Purple was her favorite color- it must be a sign! I made her meet all the other dogs before making a choice but it was love at first sight.
We did other things to invite the spirit of the Lord into our minds and hearts and all those things worked together for her good but our Heavenly Father knew that she needed to love and be loved by a dog at that time in her life.
Gizmo, the obsessive fetching golden retriever/yellow lab puppy made ‘his girl’ laugh with his antics; drew her out of herself to care for him; greeted her jubilantly every time she came home; and sat stoically when she wrapped her arms around his neck to cry. Gizmo’s girl grew stronger and wiser and happier and eventually went off to college. As she was packing the car to leave, she came out with the last bag to find Gizmo in the back of the car wedged between the suitcases and boxes. He sensed she was leaving and wanted to make sure she didn’t leave him behind. They had their last cry together and he waited on her bed every night for weeks for her to come home.
He is ten years old now. He’s adjusted to her comings and goings and has happily accepted her husband who always throws the ball for him when they come to visit. He still runs to the window and peers out with ears perked up and tail wagging when we inform him, “Your girl’s coming!”
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