A Patriot's Opinion

By Jim Snyder

Contributing Columnist

"Man’s best friend was no accident”  

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for dogs. I cannot remember a time in my life that I did not have a dog. They really are as the saying goes "Man's best friend". So many times I wish my doggies could speak. When they look at you with that deer in the headlight look, I have always wondered what they were really thinking. Well here’s a clue, they like us a lot. I watched a show last year on the National Geographic channel called "The wonder of dogs". It was so interesting to see just how intelligent and aware our furry friends really are. Their sense of smell is like 300 times better than ours. They can read our thoughts and feelings simply by looking into our eyes. They can sense when we are sick or feeling bad, then rest their head in our lap till we get better. There are proven instances where they have verified cancer in their owners before it was found by a doctor. And they are always glad to see us no matter what crisis or earth shattering experience we happen to be dealing with. Many years ago I wrote a piece called "Experiencing God through the eyes of a dog". In it I mentioned the fact that it’s no mistake that DOG is GOD spelled backwards. The analogy I made was that a dog’s love for us is a perfect reflection of how God loves us, so he gave us the dog to show us what unconditional love was all about. And that unconditional love is on display all the time. And it doesn't matter if we are having a good or bad day, if we don't have the very latest cell phone or electronic gadget, or no matter what the politicians in Washington are doing to us. They just continue to look at us with that look (you know, the LOOK) with their tail wagging frantically, and patiently waiting for you to touch them on the head or rub their belly. Now come on, everybody likes their belly rubbed right? But seriously, where else in the world can you find that kind of unconditional love. And that special bond is something very special. It’s what they do and they are good at it. They love us without reservation. That love was put there thousands of years ago by God to be a comfort for us no matter what we are going through. And I thank Him every day for that gift because it has gotten me through some rough times in my life as well. Ok I gotta run, its snack time for the crew. And if they don’t get their rawhide bone by 6 p.m. they will not stop bugging us until their dollar-a-day bone habit is satisfied.

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