I Could Never Do That....

Cal IV...What a dog! Yesterday, we turned in our buddy after 20 months of training in our home. This is our second time to do this. Our first puppy, JuJu, now works for a family in the Cleveland area as a skilled companion and is doing awesome. Getting the Christmas card from the family and seeing what a difference he's making in their lives affirmed what we already knew. He was a good boy, too.

If anyone happens to read this, I want to offer a bit of caution and encouragement before any of you make the comment, "I could never do that!". It implies two things that I want to point out:

1) You are openly admitting that you are too selfish to actually do something that helps others in such an incredible way. Now, let me say here that we are all selfish and not inclined to help others first. However, after doing this for the second time, I can assure you that there is great reward in seeing all these dogs and the way they positively impact the lives of those they go on to work with. Attending a graduation ceremony is a truly moving experience. There is also an incredible community of puppy raisers in the Canine Companions for Independence program that absolutely thrive on raising these puppies in order to improve the lives of others. It's so encouraging to be around them and see how excited they all get for each other when someone's dog graduates and teams up with a life-long friend. Several of these folks have raised upwards of 20 to 30 dogs. It's a lot of work, but it's good work.

2) You are inadvertently implying that we are apparently cold and heartless and disconnected emotionally if we can raise them and then let them go. I can assure you that a few tears were shed thinking about handing that leash over yesterday. I'm going to miss having him put his nose up on the counter while I brush my teeth each morning hoping I'll scratch his ears. I'm going to miss taking him to Kroger and places like that (sorry, Wal-Mart, about poop-fest 2016...clean up on aisle 3 and 6!) and having folks walk right past my beautiful children to comment on what a gorgeous dog he is. I've already found myself today going up and down the stairs in our house and stopping to see if he was about to come bounding behind me. My kids miss him. But we know it's worth it.

Disclaimer: We also know that if at some point he flunks out of the 6-month professional training phase, we get to bring him for good, so really, it's a win-win. If he makes it, awesome! If he's a loser and gets rejected, awesome! Although, I tend to think he's got what it takes.

I share all this to hopefully encourage you to find ways to give to your community. This has been a big thing for me this year, to be a Giver, not a Taker. I've tried to teach our kids that this is a vitally important concept. We serve a Master who was the ultimate Giver when he stretched out His arms on the cross. May we all find ways, both big and small, to imitate our Master, and be obedient unto Him. And here's to hoping Cal does the same for whoever his earthly master might be!