It is a dog world that we can enjoy
Published on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, 12:49
- Les Ferguson
By Les Ferguson, Jr.
columnist
My family moved from Manassas, VA to Lubbock, TX the summer after my third year of high school. That story deserves its own column, but not today.
Sometime before that, we got our first family dog. She was a miniature poodle/beagle mix. If you remember the dog from Petticoat Junction and the original Benji, she looked like this.
We called her Muffin or Muffy Baby. She responded to both. If I remember correctly, I was in college when she crossed the rainbow bridge.
The next dog I remember was one my dad rescued somewhere. He was a puppy, and that’s what we called him while we argued among ourselves about a name. The poor dog died years later, and we still called him Puppy.
Then there was Princess, a Golden Retriever that my then girlfriend, now wife, gave me as a gift.
At some point after we broke up (I might write another column about that one day), I started taking Princess for drives in my Camaro. This always got girls’ attention, which irritated my ex. And of course, I would never take advantage of that or use it to provoke regret. Really.
If you believe that, talk to me about a bridge I would like to sell you. Smile!
In time came Sergeant Pepper, our collie that my children grew up with. Then Bullet, the border collie that no amount of privacy or electronic fences could stop. And then Sugar, the little dog we got for my son Cole. Sugar survived longer than Cole, and losing her last year was more challenging than I expected.
We currently have many dogs: Daisy, the Golden Retriever, Bullie and Rebel, the Chocolate Labs, and Elliot, the mixed breed we rescued during Winter Storm Elliot a few years ago.
Someone abandoned this poor little puppy in Paris on the coldest day in a long time – and as I like to say about our political parties: The plague on both houses.
So why this long dog story? What is the value of a column like this? It could be about saving an animal or protecting our world. That would be a good place to stop.
But when I think about how much joy these dogs have brought into our lives, I recognize the unconditional love they have given and continue to give us, and it reminds me once again of the beauty of this world that God has blessed us with.
I hope you know how much joy a good dog brings. But whether you have a dog or not, think of all the blessings you receive from spouses and children, friends and co-workers. Learn to see the positive and enjoy the joys that come your way.
Louis Armstrong once sang: “I see green trees. And red roses. I see them blooming for me and you and I think to myself: What a wonderful world!”
“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 150:6 CSB)
