Missy-Moo

I think the Humane Society miscalculated our dog’s age. Or she has found a fountain of youth in our backyard. Perhaps there is some magic in the kudzu after all? We adopted her almost 8 years ago. According to her “records”, she was 7 to 10 years old then. Her history included “years of neglect” and abandonment, escaping from a fenced-in yard with 3 other comrades. After the fourth escape, the family could no longer afford the fine so they gave them up for adoption. She sat alone in her cell, big brown eyes pleading for comfort. When I walked by, she stood up which was comical since her legs are so short. There isn’t much difference between her stand and sit.
She’s always been timid, frantic during thunderstorms. So I was surprised to find out from the vet, that she was the culprit for the escapes from her former family. Apparently, the marks on her teeth told the story of her holding up the bottom of the fence for her friends to go under. I was away when she escaped from our backyard a few years ago. It was the only time. My husband found her at the front door. She likes to be inside: on the sofa or under the bed.
A month after her adoption, a neighbor asked us to take in a puppy. We’re softies, so we did. Now eight years later, the “puppy” acts older than our supposed 15-year-old dog. She does this two step dance when we come home, with her tail bobbing like a plume [as my hubby calls it]. Have you ever seen a dog smile? This one does. Her whole face lights up. We can tell because her face falls when a storm is brewing.
So I’ve been contemplating what keeps her so young? Is it the short legs? Or could it be the grateful smile? As if we rescued her from death, which I suppose we did.
A bible teacher, who lived a century ago, says that Christians should become younger with age, more carefree. As we grow in Christ, our stressful lives should become less and less important as our eternal perspective expands. We become more and more grateful to the One who saved us. He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30 KJV