Spoiled Dogs

We have two dogs, Jonah (the black one), and Nixza (the blonde). They are both spoiled. I freely admit that. They both get dinner at 8pm (the good stuff, cheap dog food gives 'em gas!), as well as various treats throughout the day. They have a big yard to run around in and nice beds to sleep on---mine during the day! They are both cuddled when they want to be, and petted or scratched and given lots of praise. Their attitudes toward their identical situations is quite different, however.

We got Jonah when he was 8 months old, and ours was his fourth home. I don't think that he was necessarily abused where he was, but he definitely was not afforded the lifestyle he now leads. There were a couple of young boys at one home he had, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't treated very gently when he was small. The last place Jonah was before we got him, he lived with a woman who had an overweight dog. Though he was still a puppy, she still just fed him her dog's diet food. He was so very hungry all the time when he came to live with us! He was also very nervous about us leaving him, and about going to either of our parents' homes. He was afraid of being left again, and changing homes again. After 7 years, though, he seems to have settled down, and is quite secure in his position in the family. He tries very hard to be a good dog, and is successful. He comes when called, he doesn't get into what isn't his, and is gentle and sweet. He even obeys when it is quite obvious that it goes against what he wants to do. For example...bath time!

Nixza's story is a little different. We took her home when she was about 6 weeks old, and all she has ever known is the posh life she now leads. As a result she is always looking for the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. If food is mistakenly left on the counter when we leave the house, she helps herself. If the kitchen trash smells enticing, she's on it. She barks. A lot. All of the time. Okay, realistically, she couldn't bark all the time, but she does spend way too much time on the subject. And she's not very obedient. If you call her she may come, if she feels like it, or if she thinks there is something in it for her (treat!). She is like a 93lb strong willed child. If she doesn't want to, she will fight and flail and try to get away. For example...bath time! If she wasn't so very sweet, it would be way to easy just to get rid of her. But, she is just that sweet.

Jonah knows what is out there, and is appreciative of his life now. Nixza just thinks that this is the way things are. I thought of Jonah in Sunday school this morning, when one of the older ladies commented that she viewed any trial she may be going through as readying her for heaven. Job said that after the trials he was enduring were through, he would be as gold, precious for his God. Nothing can make us deserve heaven, and sometimes we take our assurance of our final home for granted. God can allow things in our lives that will cause our appreciation of his gift to us to mature, to soften our hearts to absorb the greatness of what He really did for us.