“There is a great gulf fixed, a fathomless mystery which I sometimes think the animals understand– they gaze with such serenity– but which reminds me of how bottomless is my own ignorance. Men capture, use, control, and kill animals. Sometimes they love them. We love MacDuff. No other word will do. We love him. He is a good companion…perfectly ready to do whatever I decide we are going to do…and perfectly dedicated to his divinely appointed (yes, I think it was appointed) task of keeping me happy.”
— Elizabeth Elliot in her book Let Me Be a Woman.
With the days passing by in a haze of work and classes, the summer before my sophomore year of college held no significance, other than my sister being pregnant. I was living at home looking forward to our beach vacation, our return from which would signify the beginning of another year at college. I was ready to head back, though there was something I had pondered everyday, lingering in my mind .
I fondly remember my childhood where my family’s pets were involved. There were mainly dogs and cats, but we owned the occasional fish, and, for a time, a cannibalistic turtle (a story for another day). My siblings and I would go with my mom to rescue a litter of puppies stuck in some thorns, or feed some pitiful lost dog, or let a stray cat stay in our garage. We didn’t get to keep them, but we provided shelter and food until they could be adopted or sent to a shelter. She could be, however, persuaded into allowing a cat or two to become a permanent pet, one of which passed away just last year, nineteen-ish years after my mom lost a bargain to us kids.
It wasn’t for nostalgia, though, that I wanted a pet of my own. I debated taking that beloved cat but didn’t want her to run away since she lived both outside and indoors. In fact, I can’t remember why or when I suddenly decided I wanted a dog. But I can conceive that, at nineteen years old, I was looking for comfort and companionship in something. This is what kept me up at night, weighing the pros and cons, talking myself out of this decision, only to change my mind the next morning; I wanted a dog.
For days I monitored the P.A.W.S (public animal welfare services) website, looking for any new puppies, wanting to “start from scratch.” I did visit and look at the dogs already there, but I just wasn’t drawn to any particular one. And then, one night in July, after another cycle of talking myself out of adopting a dog and just a couple of nights before we left on our annual beach vacation, I decided to take another glance at the website, looking for any newcomers.
Lo and Behold, a litter of four puppies! They had just been rescued after being dumped on the side of the road. They weren’t even cleared yet for adoption, but were advertised nonetheless. Truly, it was love at first sight. Something about this certain puppy’s picture drew me in, a red and white “lab mix” puppy with sad eyes. Eager to meet the little pup, I drove my brother and sister to visit them, already knowing I wanted a male dog, hoping this puppy was exactly what I wanted (I only wanted a boy dog because in my mind, I grew up with too many girls, so even with a pet, I was balancing my circle out).
He melted my heart when, in his effort to jump up and play with us, his littermate knocked him backwards into a bowl of water. What a pitiful sight he was. I still wasn’t sure if he was a “he,” so the employee picked him up to examine him, as I waited with bated breath, only to announce seconds later, “It’s a boy!” That was it, he was mine. Just not quite yet.
With no possibility of being allowed to bring along a puppy on our vacation, I was forced to wait a week before I had the opportunity to adopt him. Wrecked with nerves, knowing that puppies usually go quickly by adoption or rescue, all I could do was check the website to ensure his picture was still up. And it was, until it wasn’t. All hope was lost the day his picture was taken down, and once back home, I decided that that was my answer, I wasn’t to have a dog. But something compelled me to visit the facility and just look again.
Nerves, supplemented with joy, overtook me when I found the puppy and his littermates in a new holding area with a sign that said, “pending pickup.” After a moment of uncertainty, I decided to ask if he was still available, despite the sign and my pessimistic attitude. As a first come first serve facility, I found out I could take him home by paying just a measly forty dollars. And that’s exactly what I did. I paid the forty dollars, wrapped him up and brought him home. It’s amusing to remember how scared I was. This was a life-changing decision and I knew I would never re-home him, no matter how hard it became. Of course, I was not equipped with any supplies, didn’t know a thing about raising a puppy, not even sure of his exact breed. I had absolutely no business actually adopting a puppy, but there was no turning back.
For two days, I called him “little boy,” unsure of what I would name him. I sat with my siblings going through various names, until one of my sisters suggested “Koda.” I wasn’t completely sold, but even now, I can’t remember the other option I was weighing. Koda it was!
So, here is why I am sharing this story. I think in an effort to not fall into the camp of people who have a misplaced love in their pets, I almost felt guilty or embarrassed to share him with my community. Being nineteen years old and not knowing how to train a dog, plus finding out pretty quickly after adopting him that he’s an Australian Cattle Dog, he isn’t the most well-trained dog. But he is a sweet boy. The point is, apart from the very real companionship and deep love I have for Koda, how do I view him in light of the gospel? How do I acknowledge the comfort, joy, and delight I have in my life because of him without saying that Koda is the source of my comfort and joy? Is it really okay to love this dog that much?
I have probably created an unnecessary hindrance in overanalyzing these questions, though I do think there is room to ponder them. Since I adopted him, I have lived in four different places, including where I live now, and through it all, he has been the one constant in my life. I can share that I probably did at one point have a misplaced hope that Koda was my help and source of happiness. I could expound on that, but this isn’t meant to be a long theological take on the relationship between man and beast.
In reading this book, Let Me Be a Woman, the shared piece of wisdom quoted above was brief and given in context of explaining how animals live as if they know their purpose and are content living within the bounds of God’s good design for them. It’s a reasonable conclusion, even in acknowledging how the curse touched and affected all of creation, animals included. The simple observation Elizabeth Elliot made, that her dog MacDuff’s “divinely appointed” purpose is in keeping her happy, was a sweet knock to the head to, instead of pondering questions that aren’t an issue now, enjoy the blessing and gift that the companionship of Koda is! She also relates that “Adam, I’m sure, loved the animals who were his companions in the Garden. He might even have had a special friend in a dog or a horse or a unicorn.”
God has been so gracious and kind with Koda and his life, in keeping him a healthy survivor for seven years: he’s been hit by a car, attacked twice by another dog, and continues to have four strong working legs, despite a severe laceration that required surgery a year ago! I laugh now to think of all he’s been through yet still being the same energetic and adventurous puppy he was. My friend made a joke that cracks me up every time I think of it: “Yea Koda was hit by a car…the car didn’t make it.”
My life has truly been so bright in having Koda. He has been my “baby” for almost seven years already, and I hope to have plenty of more good years ahead!
For further reading:
This article wasn’t meant to be a robust dissertation, quick introduction to dominion theology, or to share something profound, BUT on the topic of pets, a question I have wondered before is, “will animals/pets go to heaven?” I’ve shared a few links that give a good introduction/insight to that question.
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