Sep
29
2017
The Dog Bite
Posted in Faith 2 Comments
I remember our very first house.
It was so exciting to be homeowners.
When we bought that house, it was just the two of us.
When we left that house, we had two little daughters.
The house was in a neighborhood with a community park at the end of the street.
It was so nice to be able to walk down to the park so my oldest daughter could play.
My second daughter was too little to play there.
She spent the time asleep in the stroller.
My oldest daughter really thought the park was her park.
She even called the park by her name.
Just recently, I drove by our first house and took a picture of the park at the end of the street.
All the playground equipment has been modernized but it was her park just the same.
We had a dog back then that belonged to my husband’s sister.
She was unable to keep the dog and I wanted to take care of something.
Soon after we got the dog, I found out that I was pregnant with our first child.
I wondered how the dog would get along with our new little baby.
The dog was already named.
Since we did not get the dog as a puppy, some of his habits were already set.
I worked on quite a few habits and was able to teach him.
One habit was consistent and quite annoying.
That dog ran away all the time.
He still ran away even though we had a run in the back yard and even though he was walked.
Sometimes, he would be outside and be just fine.
Other times, within minutes, he was off.
I was so concerned when he ran off.
It was a horrible feeling to know that our dog was off somewhere.
When it happened more often than I would have liked, I was more annoyed than worried.
He had a collar with his name and our phone number; we were only called a few times.
This was before the days of electric fences.
People either had an actual fence or the dog owner kept their dog on a leash.
We had no actual fence and our dog was on a leash.
However, sometimes it only took a few minutes for him to run.
There were a few times when he was gone for days.
There were a few times when he was in the next township.
He was friendly and very cute; he reminded people of the dog in the movie, Benji.
Cute or not, I was at my wits end.
The reason I was at my wits end was because I was pregnant.
I did not want to traipse all over the county looking for our dog.
Yet I knew he was our responsibility.
Often, I did not know where to even begin to look for him.
I remember a day after our little daughter was born.
I was outside holding her on my hip, talking to my neighbor.
She and her husband did not have any children.
She and her husband had a few dogs.
She treated the dogs like her children.
In fact, that is the way she described them.
She and her husband had one of the first electric fences installed on their property.
The electric fence went around the perimeter of their yard.
Their favorite dog was a German Shepherd.
She talked to me with the invisible electric fence between us; the German Shepherd stayed back.
Our dog was inside the house.
I went in to put my daughter down for a nap.
The door was not closed completely.
Our dog took that opportunity to run away.
I went back outside after my little daughter was in her crib.
I thought for sure our dog would be nearby but I did not see him anywhere.
I walked over to where I just stood talking to my neighbor to ask her if she saw our dog.
She was not outside.
Out of nowhere, her German Shepherd rushed through the electric fence and bit me on the leg.
He bit me right where my little girl’s leg had been just minutes before.
I was so afraid.
As quick as he bit me, he ran back into his yard.
I assume he felt the shock from his special collar but it did not seem to matter.
I ran inside and called my other neighbor, who was a nurse.
We are going to the emergency room, she said, you never fool with a dog bite.
She had her daughter stay at our house until my little daughter woke up.
She stayed with me the whole time.
I assumed that the dog would have had all its shots since they took such care of their dogs.
I was shaken but I was so grateful it was my leg and not my little daughter’s leg that was bitten.
I received instructions for care but I was going to be just fine.
My husband was taking MBA classes back then and was at school when all this happened.
When he came home, my neighbor was still with me and explained everything to him.
Before she finished, the doorbell rang.
It was the dog owner quite upset and visibly angry.
How dare you send the police to my house, she yelled at me.
My neighbor, who was the nurse, spoke up.
She did not send the police to your house! My neighbor said in no uncertain terms.
It is hospital protocol to involve the police when someone is bitten by a dog, she continued.
The dog owner stopped yelling; there was nothing else she could say.
She left without saying anything more.
I did not call the police.
In fact, I did not even know the police were told about the incident.
I was as surprised as the dog owner when I heard that the police came to her house.
She still kept the dog; I was very afraid to go anywhere near him.
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
One day, dogs will not bite people.
One day, natural enemies will lay side by side.
One day, a child can be next to the fiercest animal and not be harmed.
One day, the created order will be restored.
Because of sin, there will be dog bites.
Because of sin, neighbors will yell and accuse without all of the facts.
But one day, Jesus is coming back.
One day…
Maranatha!
Come Lord Jesus.
I too had a dog bite me when canvassing for a charity. I knocked on the door of a neighbor’s home and their dog raced around the house and bit me on the leg. I still remember the huge bruise and being afraid of dogs outside for quite a while. How wonderful to think of heaven and how all of God’s creatures will get along and love each other!
Amen, Sue!
It is a very scary experience.
I still have a fear of large dogs.
But one day…
Gina