Big Dogs Battle it Out

It has not been easy having our dog. He is still a puppy and not quite one year old, I still have trouble remembering that because of his size.  If we had to, we could quickly list the things in our own lives that cause us pain or displeasure. Gavin is much the same - though he cannot speak in our language he does let us know his dislikes.

He does not like to be brushed or to have his ears cleaned or touched in a serious way. He does not like to sit still in the house - he prefers to play - all day long. He does not like staying outside though he is a big dog - he thinks he's small. He does not like to walk correctly on a leash. Though he loves to walk, it is really more like running from fire hydrant to fire hydrant while he pulls us behind.

He does not like it when we vacuum the floor or mow the yard. He growls and barks loudly and furiously which ultimately leads to his attacking the machines. He has a sock fetish and we spend much of our time chasing him around the house to get them back. He does not like to sleep in his kennel or to be placed there during dinner. His whining sounds like someone crying. And above all - he does not like having his toenails trimmed.

The other day we left him at the dog groomers so she could clean him up, brush him out, and trim his nails. Of course she could not get close to his ears or his toenails because he growled at her. A few days later I asked my husband if he would like to come with me to the dog groomers again so we could hold him while the groomer clipped his nails. I have to say that I honestly thought it was a good idea. I had done it before by myself with the groomers and Gavin did just fine.

However - on this occasion you would have thought that World War III broke out! Gavin growled, jumped, pawed, and jerked. My husband held firm with all his strength and then complained that I wasn't holding firm enough. After several tries - my husband became more and more angry over the dog and the dog fought back just as hard. At one point Gavin became so aggressive that everything came to a halt! My husband was furious! And for good reason! Three women stood in front of him and looked at his battle scars - my husband's not the dog's. It was a apparent that the two of them had really gone 'round and 'round - only to find that Gavin came out on top.

It was one of those moments where I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I wanted to cry because my husband was so upset but I also wanted to laugh. I was truly torn! As I looked at my husband's battle scars I saw scratches on his arm where the toenails that needed to be clipped scratched him. And then we saw it- for the life of me I have no idea how it happened. Somehow Gavin found a way to rip my husband's shorts right down the middle - leaving him completely exposed! Everyone could see the color of his boxers! No one understood how it happened! It looked as if someone had taken a pair of scissors and cut right up the leg. My heart sank at the sight of him and yet my stomach rumbled with giggles trying to surface. What was I to do?

After one more try the toenails were finally clipped and we made our way home. I trailed several feet behind and watched two extremely tired guys - one panting and tongue hanging out while the other held tight to the leash with one hand and his shorts with the other.

All I could do was shake my head - allow the giggles to burst forth - and say, "What a journey Lord - what  a journey."

Sometimes our journeys will look like that. We will face those difficult battles. And sometimes it will feel as if we have been torn to shreds. Sometimes our emotions will rise up. But in the end we will walk away - whether laughing or crying - and we will hopefully have  survived to tell the tail and live another day.

"Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle."  - - - Psalm 140:6-8