Taffy--God sent?

I lost my big ole collie dog this summer. We knew he was getting old, stiff, deaf, grouchy--sometimes. But I didn't want to face it, didn't really think his death would come anytime in the near future. After all, he wasn't as old as another dog we took in.

We got him as a five month old pup, papers and all. He was adorable. My sons were younger and we enjoyed debating over what to name him. We'd had a female collie years before when the boys were just babies. Now we decided to go with a male. My family has always been big with western stories. It seemed appropriate to call our favorite dog after a character in one of them. Of course, he had his registered name, but we shortened it down to Sabre.

We loved him dearly. I use to tease my sons and tell them Sabre minded better than they. They'd just look at me and smile.

Sabre was smart. Very. He came when I called, even obeyed the hand motion I used for him to come. He loved playing hide and seek with me, and I think I loved it just as much. His big brown eyes were thrilled when he located me, and when I tricked him with a new place, I was as excited as he was.

He'd play fetch as long as I would throw. He'd follow hubby and myself on our walks. He'd ignore another dog we rescued (Mackie). I don't know whether he thought he was better, or just too dignified to get into Mackie's petty arguments over territory.

That last week, he began getting weaker. He had a horrible time moving about. I petted and talked "love talk" to him, telling him how much I loved him and what he'd meant to me through the years. And I cried and cried. I couldn't sleep that last night. Checked on him over and over.
The next morning I said my last good-bye to him.

A couple weeks earlier my oldest son and hubby came home from work. There sitting in the pasture near one of our horses was a small dog. Where did she come from? Did someone lose her? Want to get rid of her?

We don't know. Although son made inquiries we never found out who she belonged to. My hubby called her Squirt. I call her Taffy. She's a beautiful Jack Russell, big eyes, loving, and all. Well, I've never had a JR. We were gone traveling for conference (remember?), but when we returned, I began making up to Taffy. She's a doll.

Could it have been God knew I'd need something to help me fight the lonesomeness of losing Sabre? Does God care about our love for animal companions?

I think He does. However it happened that Taffy came to us, I'm happy she did. I'll never forget Sabre. But my heart is big enough to love Taffy, too.


More helpful hints on holiday cookie baking:
* If you are a chewy cookie lover, use 1/2 shortening (can be butter flavored) and 1/2 softer margarine spread.
* For something different: try adding a small package of instant vanilla pudding to your chocolate chip cookie recipe, or try 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Good!
* Try saving your empty margarine wrappers to grease cookie sheets. The unsalted butter is better at keeping your sheet non-sticking.



A little bit of admonition for your quote today. I like it!
Enjoy yourself. These are the "good ole days" you're going to miss in the days ahead. --anonymous

Blessings