INTRODUCTION
This is an account of how God entered my life through a dog. There are dogs all around me; so in that sense, another one coming into my presence is not all that odd. But this occurrence was extraordinary because of its timing and the messages that came with it. It has taught me to watch for God’s hand in the most seemingly mundane of events. The upshot of this story is that God’s teachings and instruction are available to us wherever we choose to look and recognize them.
BACKGROUND
My story begins with the entrance of a mongrel stray dog into my yard and my life one beautiful spring morning in 2021. I was walking my dog Loula down the road outside my house but had left the gate to my yard slightly ajar for convenience, For my trouble when Loula and I returned, we were greeted by a rather intimidating mixed-breed male dog wandering around the premises.
I have always left this gate slightly ajar and nothing has snuck in before. Why now, I wondered.
The dog had no collar on him and thus no visible I.D. He probably wasn’t leash trained either, nor was he neutered which gave rise in me to some concern. This is because un-neutered males can present their own issues with marking, dominance assertion, and aggression.
I imagined the dog to be about six months old, some kind of shepherd /mastiff mix with the typical German shepherd coloring. When I came closer to him, I knew he was different. First of all, he was “suspicious seeming,” walking around the yard strategically, checking the premises out for any possible hidden threats or opportunities. This indicated to me that the people he left behind were probably not the most caring or knowledgable partners for this dog. I instinctively stood back from him, sensing that this big dog was not to be carelessly approached. But my other impression of him was that he was sweet; that he longed for human companionship but didn’t know if or whom to trust. This is the beginning of what I will call the two natures in the dog.
I called my neighbor Patty who has worked in shelters and had a great deal of experience with shelter dogs. I thought I could get some advice from her on how to deal with my unexpected guest. For one thing, I was debating whether or not to foster my new friend or call Anlmal Care and Control to come and take him. The latter became dominant in my thinking because Rachel warned me away from fostering a dog of this mixed-breed type, saying that such a canine could not be trusted; that I should just call Animal Control and be done with it. She was referring to her suspicion that my canine guest was a dog who has been ill-bred and/or mistreated in a way that made him aggressive towards humans. When someone like Patty says that a dog can’t be trusted, I listen.
Her advice hit a nerve.
Trust has been a burning issue with me after the passing of my beloved husband Ed. Ed’s shelter and protection always shielded me from the confusing and self-serving messages coming from people who did not have my best interests at heart. I depended on him to help me weed out the human dross in my life. But I don’t have him anymore; he passed away in 2017. So I must now learn to rely on my own instincts to protect me from those who might do me harm. Was God sharpening my antennae to pick out those who indeed I could trust or not trust by bringing this dog into my life? ? Was he honing my instincts to better discern such distinctions? Looking back, it is not surprising to me that God would use an “untrustworthy” dog to teach me these lessons. I was beginning to get the message.
My canine friend may not have had my best interests in mind, but dogs, animals in general, are much more authentic in their communication than humans and thus easier to read. Maybe this dog would teach me how to read humans who are much harder to understand. When humans say something, they sometimes, if not often, communicate a double message, making their intent difficult to discern. Our sinful natures make us this way; so in that sense, dogs and animals in general are more authentic than humans. At least they are who they say they are; there are no hidden agendas. Who then was this dog?
I started my inquiry by naming the dog Josh, short for Joshua. Joshua is typically recognized as the great commander who led the Hebrews into the land of Canaan after Moses’ passing. (Deuteronomy 11:8-17) Most notable during this journey was the defeat of the inhabitants of Jericho. This occurred when the priests and the soldiers under Joshua’s command caused the walls of Jericho to crumble by blowing trumpets (shofars) and giving a shout. But there was more to Joshua’s story than being a great leader. The Bible tells us that he was Moses’ faithful attendant, about whom the Bible attests “never moved from the tent of Moses.” He devoted his heart and soul to his master, waiting by the foot of Mount Sinai while Moses was atop the mountain communicating with God. (Joshua 6:1-27)
Perhaps by naming my canine friend Joshua, whom I started to call Josh, I had instinctively expressed a trait for devotion inherent in this dog.
Let me as best I can recount the chronology of events as they occurred with Josh and then try to interpret what they mean.
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
I was able to entice Josh into a corral I have for horses. The corral in question is huge and is surrounded by a 5-foot fence. It also has a 12×12 foot stall with chain link gate attached to it. This is to enclose a dog if need be. Once I got Josh in the corral, the next question was Now what do I do.
As I said before, in previous situations like this, I have called Animal Care and Control to come and get a stray dog. This is because since my husband Ed passed, I have not had the time or drive to rehabilitate strays. But that has changed. I’m a dog trainer now and am committed to rehabilitating rescues through proper training. It is my view that a lack of training is the main reason these poor creatures find themselves in the circumstances they are in, be it in shelters or roaming around the countryside like my new friend Josh.
I started making phone calls. I don’t remember the exact sequence of these calls, but Patty and Animal Control were first on the list. At the same time, I considered the possibility of training and rehabilitating Josh myself to make him suitable for a worthy owner. But I also realized that this dog might require more attention than I was able to give at the moment. So I called around to other rescues and trainers to see who could help out. Was there another trainer who could come over and help me get a collar and leash on this dog without either one of us getting hurt?
In the meantime while I was pondering what to do with my new canine friend, that friend was doing his own pondering, casing the premises and seemingly trying to figure out how he might escape and be on his own again, His pondering paid off for him. Josh had succeeded in scaling both the perimeter fence surrounding his corral and another 5-foot fence which forms the perimeter fencing for my property. When I realized he had jumped both these fences, I yelled for him, Amazingly, he returned my call with a bark and jumped back over the perimeter fence into my yard. Maybe there was a connection starting here.
One of the other people I had called by now was Kristine who encouraged me to lure Josh with some food back into an enclosed area from which he could not escape. This I did and was able to get him back into the stall attached to the corral I originally put him in. I immediately closed the gate to the stall. Thank goodness. The gate in question is of a see-through chain-link variety so the dog could look out while allowing fresh air to come in.
This discussion with Kristine was the first of what I understood to be several blessings coming from the Holy Spirit as a result of the entrance of Josh into my life.
Kristine, by the way, is an accomplished dressage competitor and coach who used to be my teacher some years ago. She also runs a program on Facebook called Animal Well Being. This program seeks to find homes for rescued dogs. My discussion with Kristine was fortuitous in that in addition to the immediate advice she gave me pursuant to the luring of Josh into the enclosed stall, it was Kristine who advised me to call a couple of rescues and a trainer whom she greatly respects for help. This was a start even though the rescues were full up and I did not hear back from the trainer.
I ended up calling two other trainers and two additional rescues. Again, I didn’t hear back from the trainers. I began wondering why this was. Perhaps after hearing my description of the situation, they decided it was over their heads. I did hear from the heads of the two rescues, however, one of whom was from the Brittany Foundation. She, however, said her rescue was full so she couldn’t take any more dogs. The other was Joe at 2nd Chance Dog Rescue who said he could accommodate Josh. I will describe the process by which this occurred after providing more detail on my experience up to that point.
CAUSE FOR CONERN; The Two Natures of the Dog
While I was calling around for assistance and deciding on the best course of action for Josh, I began spending time with him in the horse stall in which he was staying. I began doting over him: I got him a dog bed, which he quickly started chewing up; I solved this problem by covering it with a big blue sheet. I also got him numerous chew toys to keep him busy while he was confined to the stall and began petting him when he would come up to me. I knew it was okay for me to do this because he would start squirming with delight as soon as he saw me approach his living area. At the same time, I quickly sensed that this was not a dog on whom I could force myself.
One tactic I used to help erase Josh’s innate suspicion of me was to turn a horse feeder upside down in a corner of the stall he was in and cover it with a sheet so I could sit on it. This placed me at the dog’s eye level so I didn’t look threatening to him. I let him come to me while I was sitting on the upside=down horse feeder which he occasionally did. I wanted to let Josh know I was his friend. You see it in the corner of the picture below.
During these times, I would pet him, being careful not to touch an area that might trigger an aggressive response. What were those places? I had to sense where they were. Coming in over the top of his head, for example, might not be the best place to start with as it could be perceived as domineering and an invitation for confrontation.
Josh did growl a couple of times, twice at me and once when I brought one of my tenants over to introduce the two.
The first time I remember josh growling at me was when I held my phone up outside his stall to take a picture of his face. The picture was taken through the chain link gate which encloses his stall area; so I was outside the stall peering in through the chain link gate, a gesture which was apparently threatening to Josh. I’m glad I was outside the gate because that’s when he growled. The second time he growled at me was when I held a toy up through a narrow opening in the gate to see if he’d take it. He did not and let out a soft growl instead. Soft but still a growl.
When I brought my tenant over to see Josh, I recognized a couple of things which were evoking an aggressive response. First of all, my tenant faced the dog square on. He also stood quite a bit above Josh outside the chain link gate which enclosed the stall he was in. This stance I now recognize posed a challenge to the dog. I contrast this with the more submissive posture I took inside Josh’s stall when I sat on the upside-down feeder.
It was clear to me at this point that the way a strange human being presented him/herself to Josh would determine the response he would give in return. He did not like someone standing outside his enclosure, looking in, for example. On the other hand, when I brought my horsemanship coach Joel over to see Josh, he first growled then wagged his tail. This confirmed to me the fact that Josh seemed to have two natures. Joel was outside Josh’s enclosure looking in, by the way, but he knelt down. This was a more inviting stance reminiscent of the posture I took inside Josh’s stall when I sat on the upside-down feeder. What struck me was the way he looked both at Joel and then me as if determining who was on his side, who he could possibly trust and who he had to be careful of. His eyes moved deliberately from one of us to the other; first to me, then Joel,
It was at this point that I called my mentor/friend dog trainer Don Sullivan for advice on how to handle Josh. I recognized I was getting into some unchartered territory and could benefit from Don’s advice. It was this conversation which alerted me to God’s presence and the purposes through which the Holy Spirit was working in all this.
CONVERSATION WITH DON
Don Sullivan is a world-renowned dog trainer famous for his unique training system which uses consequences as well as reward to train dogs. This system mirrors the way alpha members of a dog pack would socialize other dogs into the pack for harmonious existence within it. He is a Christian as well; so I trusted his advice. For more information on Don and his methods, go to his website and/or refer to his book Wake Up and Smell the Poop.
Don Sullivan told me in no uncertain terms that I should swallow my emotions and walk away from Josh.
As I explained my experience with him to Don, he made me recognize the fact that Josh’s changeable behavior, expressed in sweetness at one moment and growling the next, was a sign of a potentially dangerous dog. He said that such a dog in his view needed 24/7 attention by a trainer who had experience with dogs of this nature. He added that it was in the dog’s best interests and mine to find such a trainer who would work with the dog. Barring that, he would need to be referred to Animal Control lest some unsuspecting human be put in harm’s way. He then gave me an example of one of his clients in a similar situation who didn’t follow his advise and wound up the worse off for it.
The owner in question had a pit bull who, kind of like Josh, growled one minute and wagged his tail the next. But it was much worse than that. This dog had a thing about strangers so much so that when he saw a stranger approaching the house he lived in, he would throw himself at the home’s glass windows in an effort to shred the human as s/he came forward towards the house. Don knew that this extreme behavior warranted an extreme response and recommended to the owner that she put the dog down lest he make it through the window, injuring himself and possibly killing a human in the process. The owner couldn’t bear to do this to her darling dog and opted instead to hire someone else who might console her and tell her what she wanted to hear. The trainer she hired, instead of dishing out consequences for dangerous behavior, opted to bribe the dog with treats.
The owner eventually learned the hard way — that giving in to a dog’s aggression in this manner only made things worse.
At this juncture, I want to say something about the role of food in working with dogs, specifically in dog training. There isn’t one. This is because the use of food as a bribe to get the dog to do something we want has the consequence of putting the human being in a subservient relation to the dog. In dog packs, it is the weaker dog who submits to the stronger by giving up his food. So when we use food as a bribe in dog training, we are in essence saying to the dog “You’re the leader; I’m your humble servant.”
There is an exception to the use of food when working with dogs: This is when rescuers must use it as a last resort to rescue a stray and terrified canine. In such cases, food is the only means of drawing a frightened and often abused animal close to the humans so the dog can be saved. I used it in my above description of luring Josh into the confined area so he wouldn’t jump my fences again. This is a reasonable use of food to build a beginning connection with a dog. But it should not be used in further training.
Going back to Don’s example of the woman who refused to accept the fact that her pit bull required consequences for his aggressive behavior, I told Don there was biblical precedent for his recommendation that her dog be put down. The biblical term is “herem.” It appears in the book of Joshua where God instructs the Israelites to utterly destroy the whole community of Jericho — men, women, children, and animals —lest the Israelites, and the animals in their care, be contaminated by pagan practices. (Joshua 6:15-21) There is no direct translation of the Hebrew word into English, but it roughly means to utterly destroy living things for the purpose of devoting them back to God.
But the animals?
They do not sin; so why would herem apply to them? Indeed, animals do not sin, but they are contaminated by human sin, and in some cases cannot be rehabilitated like the pit bull I talked about above. We see another instance of this in Torah where God requires the Hebrews to kill a bull who has gored a human being lest it be a further danger to society (Exodus 21:28-32). In ancient times such animals were economic commodities for the people so that having to destroy one’s meal ticket would presumably send the message to the owner to do a better job in teaching the creature to properly behave in Hebrew society.
Going back to my situation, as much as I hated to admit it, Don’s advice was what I needed to hear. The Lord came to my rescue through my conversation with him so that I wouldn’t spend needless time trying to work with a potentially dangerous dog.
Don and I then talked about a lack of dog training in our society in general. We dismayed over the constant use of treats to build relationships with dogs rather than training. This is a predominant theme at dog rescues in particular possibly because rescuers see treats as their only vehicle to connect with frightened and aggressive dogs. After all, this is how many of them rescue strays in the first place; so it would seem to follow that they would see food as a logical extension to build a deeper relationship with a dog. Statistics show, however, that it is the lack of training which largely accounts for these poor creatures ending up at dog rescues in the first place. Training, by the way, is not only appropriate for the dog but perhaps more so for the human handler who must learn how to communicate with his partner through a sensible and effective method in order to build trust and respect between them..
It is my view that building a bridge of understanding between human and dog is far better served when the dog is taught to recognize undesirable as well as desirable behaviors by using consequences as well reward, such as affection, in a training regimen rather than hand-fed treats,
THREE RESPONSES TO THE SITUATION
At this point, I saw three options available for Josh:
One option would be to have Josh put down and apply the concept of “herem.” But this didn’t seem to fit at all. He had this inviting, sweet part of himself that made me think that with the right person, Josh could be a great and trustworthy dog. Yes, he did a couple of times express aggression as evidenced in a growl but nothing that I would consider a long-term threat. So “herem” was out of the question.
A second option would be to call Animal Control to come and pick up Josh. But this seemed somehow unfair to the dog because people would come in to view him outside his enclosure and stand above him with that frontal glare, peering in to get a view of the dog. Given my past experience with Josh and my knowing how such behavior could come across as a challenge to him, he might see these maneuvers by strangers as a threat and growl. He would thus be judged as unadoptable and eventually be put down by shelter authorities—–another form of herem.
A third option would be to recontact the rescues I had called earlier to see if they now had room for Josh. This I did and ended up getting a positive response from Joe at 2nd Chance Dog Rescue. Joe agreed to come and get Josh and give him a chance to become a member of his existing dog pack
I asked Joe how this happens, how a new dog becomes a member of his existing dog pack. He told me pack members show a new dog the ropes by administering consequences for unwanted behavior towards other dogs such as a growl or a bite. That’s great, and it is the model Don Sullivan and I use to train dogs that come to us. But how would this experience with other dogs translate into cooperating well with humans, I wondered. In other words, how would the dog in question learn how to exist with humans according to human vs. dog rules? My answer is that although there may be some cross-over, humans require different things from dogs than dogs do from their own kind; so simply socializing dogs with other dogs doesn’t go far enough in educating them on how to get along in groups comprised of human beings.
Having said that, I viewed Joe’s offer to give Josh a home with himself and his dog friends to be a great start for him. So I was happy to let Joe take him and let his dogs begin giving him the support, discipline, and encouragement he needed.
In what follows, I will provide some details on Joe’s arrival at my place, his taking Josh with him, and how Josh has fared in his new dog family.
JOSH’S NEW HOME
When Joe came and introduced himself to Josh, he sat in a chair at a level even with the dog. This was much as I did when I sat with Josh on a stool in his stall. Joe also showed his side to the dog rather than his front, presenting much less of a challenge to him and an invitation that perhaps dog and human could be friends. At some point during this initial introduction, Joe explained to me that he believed Josh had been slapped around by the previous owner. This would account for his suspicious behavior and growling. Joe then proceeded to offer treats to the dog as his way of gaining Josh’s good will. He eventually succeeded in getting a collar on him as shown in the picture below.
Joe got a leash on Josh as well and was able to lead the dog away from my property and into his truck parked on the easement outside my gate.
As Joe led Josh away, he informed me that Josh was a “leaner,” having a penchant for leaning against a human as an expression of affection. Josh leaned on me as well before jumping into Joe’s truck, a gesture I took to be one of gratitude.
Joe eventually got Josh home and informed me that the dog took to the existing pack pretty well; pack members also took to him. Joe went on to say that Grumpy, a cocker spaniel in his dog group, was doing the initial socializing; that is, Grumpy acquainted Josh with the dog rules of the house. Josh got housebreaking lessons from the other dogs as well by following them outside when it was time to go. Joe said this seemed to be working 75% of the time. As an assist, Josh was neutered to reduce dominant male behaviors such as the urge to mark his territory. I paid for the neuter.
Josh is resting peacefully with the pack leader Mr. Grumpy in the picture below. See the collar on him? That’s the collar I got for him.
If Josh were my dog, training would be the next step for him. But this was not in the cards. Joe admitted he’s not a “sit and stay guy”; so training was not in the picture for Josh at least for now. l did mention to Joe, however, that the dog would need some formal training were he to be adopted into a different household without a dog pack to buffer any anti-social behavior.
My views on the importance of training has biblical support. It starts with a better, more accurate understanding of “dominion” as it appears in the book of Genesis. The Hebrew word for dominion is “radah”. Ellen Davis, theologian at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, has discovered that radah more accurately means “to exercise skilled mastery among the creatures as opposed to “power over” or “authority over,” the way we traditionally understand the term “dominion.” “Skilled mastery” means to me among other things working directly with the creatures, training them, to live harmoniously with and among us and other beings. It connotes partnership facilitated by the animal’s knowledge of the boundaries and rules trained in by us.
BLESSINGS FROM ASSOCIATION WITH JOSH
This has been a long, winding story that has chronicled my encounter with God through a canine emissary. It has had its concerns and challenges. But apart from these, there were two blessings that appeared as unforeseen gifts that have showed me how God works through his creatures on our behalf —–and theirs.
The first blessing was in the form of instructional messages that found their way into the lives of the three human beings associated with Josh or with my experience — Don Sullivan, my dog training mentor; myself; and Joe, the dog rescuer who wound up providing a home for Josh. For Don, the message came in the form of biblical support for his training method and the tools he developed to accomplish it. For me, the message was a lesson on trust which sharpened my antennae on who could be trusted and who could not be. For Joe, the message was a gentle reminder that training is an essential component of a dog’s life in a human environment..
The second blessing came in the form of contact with both old and new friends whom I probably wouldn’t have contacted were it not for Josh— at least not for a time. Patty was one of these friends along with Kristine.
Kristine, at the time I spoke with her, was the new owner of my beloved Trakehner Huntington. I could no longer afford to keep him because of a chronic lameness he developed as he got older. I was heartbroken because I wanted to move on with my dressage but wanted to keep Huntington at the same time; however, he was only capable of Level 1 at this point, and I couldn’t afford to keep him and purchase a new horse with whom to advance. I talked to Kristine about this, and she described to me how she needed a lower level school horse but that she also knew of a young PRE stallion who had the capability of taking me further in my dressage. This was a windfall for both of us. My beloved Huntington would go to Kristine whom I trust whilst I became the owner of the PRE now known as Soñador Moon. The Holy Spirit through this one person bifurcated his blessing so that both of us could move on with our horse lives on horses that would be the better off for it..
Even though I have missed Huntington terribly, he became an excellent school horse for Kristine and her students. For one thing, He gave her back some confidence she had lost after at least one very bad riding accident that ruined her hope. This is according to a mutual friend who knows both of us. So as painful as it has been to give Huntington up, look at the tremendous fruit wrought from this loss.
I was also able to talk to Kristine about possible future dressage lessons on my stallion Soñador.
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021
I texted Joe to see how Josh was doing. Had he been able to find him a home? Here is Joe’s text to me which supports the warnings I got from Don Sullivan:
” Yes, Josh is still here. In fact he’s laying on the couch next to me snoring. I haven’t quite figured him out. He’s very insecure and has some issues related to that. He is a lot of dog and to be frank I didn’t think it was a good idea for you to foster him in your house. He’s a bit more than you want to deal with. I hope that’s OK. He gets possessive and then snaps at other dogs. Nothing super aggressive or over the top but occasional and enough that it gave me concern as to how he would interact with your dogs.”
My response was the following:
“I hear you, and I agree. I talked to my training mentor about him who concluded that he would be a handful given my description. I was extremely cautious around him. One minute he’d come up to me and be really friendly while the next minute he would growl. This was concerning to me. The aggression towards the other dogs can be cured along with growling towards people, but it would take some doing.”
Joe’s final comment to me:
“He doesn’t growl at people anymore. (Apparently, he did so at Joe’s place.) He’s really good there. In fact he absolutely craves a person to call his own. He’s happiest when he’s with someone.”
My final comment to Joe.
“Great Joe. That’s good to know.”
Illustrations included with this article are from a book by Charlie Mackery called The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse.” They communicate what I was feeling as I made my way through this writing.
Please leave a comment below about this article and/or similar experiences you have had.