Surprise - Its Kujo

               My husband surprised us one day by bringing home a litter of puppies from the dog trainer.  She wanted to socialize them by having them around our kids and dogs.  He figured out that I couldn’t resist them once I saw them and he was right.  We enjoyed that same surprise a couple of times.  The puppies only stayed for a few days and everyone loved playing with them.

                One evening when he returned from training he stood at the door and said that he had a surprise.  The kids were all at afterschool activities so I thought I would get the puppies all to myself for a while.  I waited eagerly by the door but when he came back he wasn’t carrying a large box full of puppies.  He had a full grown dog on a leash.  He walked the dog into the house and started explaining that she had been abused by the people who bought her and could not be retrained as a hunting dog because she had become gun shy.  If he hadn’t taken her the trainer was going to put her down. 

The first thing she did as I reached out to pet her was growl, and show her teeth.  That was all it took.  I told him to turn around and take her back because I would not have a dangerous dog around the kids.  The second thing she did probably saved her life.  She dove underneath the kitchen table, crouched down and started to shake with fear.  Her initial greeting wasn’t aggressiveness it was self-defense.  I had never seen a dog so terrified and it broke my heart.  We agreed to put her on probation for a month under my exclusive care so the kids would not be in danger. She would jump and tremble if someone snapped the lid on a jar or make any kind of loud noise.  When she finally allowed me to touch her I made sure to comfort her after anything had frightened her.  Slowly she learned to trust me and would look up at me for assurance instead of hiding and trembling.  We became fast friends and eventually she was a member of the family enjoying affection from everyone and giving it in return.

I know my heart broke for her because I remembered many times when I was afraid and how it caused me to lash out at people and to isolate myself.  She was able to get over her fear when she knew that someone cared for her and would be there to comfort and protect her.  Just as I was able to get over my fears when I realized that God would always be there for me.

When I am afraid, I will trust in You.
Psalm 56:3