Many of my friends believe that pets are humans in fur or feathers. Each has its own personality, its own way of communicating. Dodo videos show cuddly possums and squirrels who use their owner as a favorite climbing tree. The rescues and stories of relationship are all over the media, each animal with its own response to rescue and rescuers. Animals sometimes trigger the compassion in humans that other humans don’t trigger. I wonder why?

Recently Gabby, my son’s aging black lab, gave me an educational moment. I had the bad judgement in treating her like a dog. Gabby knew that wasn’t right. I was the Dursleys, and she was Harry Potter under the staircase. We were dog sitting at our house. Gabby and Chunk, the other dog, came for a week long visit. We were willing and have a fenced back yard and an easy-to-clean house.

The dogs know their routine and can clearly communicate it. They become highly animated twice a day and go in and out of the house thinking that going in and out triggers the magic. The magic is feeding time. They go out, turn right around, return, and search the house for the food bowls. They will repeat the process until someone takes the hint. Neither dog is happy during thunderstorms. They will crawl in laps if they can or bed if you don’t stop them, crying and talking actively the entire time. I kept the dogs off the bed, off my lap, and left them outside for extended times. It was an inconsiderate way to treat family.

Three days into the week, Gabby quit going to the bathroom outside and started using the floor, sometimes multiple times a night. This is completely outside her routine. I began to examine the situation and realized that Gabby was missing the constant affection she received from my son and his wife. I took the cue and changed my behavior. The accidents immediately stopped. I had been told and heard.

Gabby is a dog, but she has a better sense of family than some humans I know. The Lord is not opposed to using anything in our environment to teach us about living and loving and being the kind of people He wants us to be. Gabby reminded me that I had become self absorbed, and she was right. The media shows us animals that example how humans should treat each other all the time, always ready to rescue, always ready to help, always ready to go the distance for someone or some creature who is hurt or hurting.

Being self absorbed is a curse. It injures all persons and creatures in its environment. It destroys any relationship with any person or thing. The weakest among us tend to suffer the injury first and worst. Gabby reminds me that I should be full of compassion because of the compassion I have received. I want to forgive as quickly and enthusiastically as I was forgiven, want to help others as faithfully as I have been helped. The Lord is the greatest example, and He isn’t embarrassed by using the lowly things in this world to teach about His higher calling. Thanks Gabby. I’ll work on being better.