Our Dog

[octoberose]

We have a golden retriever. Her name is Scout and she will be eleven on Friday- but she won't make it that far. We had an ultrasound done and she is full of cancer. She's losing weight, she eats a little, drinks a little. But she still follows me around the house and wants to play with our younger dog. She's very loyal, very valiant. I called all the kids yesterday- they all called back and talked to her- even Nathan. So, if you wouldn't mind, we could use some prayers. My husband is pretty torn about this- he has a very tender heart where dogs are concerned. We plan on putting her to sleep on Monday after we spoil her good for the next couple of days. She's on pain meds. If she wasn't still following us and still trying we would have already put her to sleep.
Maybe sometime we can talk about the spirit of animals.

[repottinger]

I'll be sure to pray for your dog as well as you and your family as you deal with everything that's going on, Rose.
Your brother in Christ,
Randy

[John from Kentucky]

The Scriptures teach us to care for animals.

But I don't know of any Scripture that says we are to pray for animals.  I cannot see any harm for praying for relief of their pain.  But, it is curious that the Scriptures do not show examples of Jesus or anyone else actually praying for animals.

I don't know of any Scripture that tells of the resurrection of animals from the dead.

[lauriellen]

I am sorry about your dog. I absolutely love animals and being a rancher I am around them all the time and see how much joy they can bring. The down-side of my profession is, although it is my life's work to nurture and protect my animals, I am also at times required to make the decision to take the life of an animal, and have had to do so many times. I have to say that it bothers me every time and is something I only do as a last resort. I feel the burden of holding the power of the life and death of my animals in my hands, and it has made me reflect many times about how God may feel about the death of His creatures. I don't know if animals will live again, or if this life is it for them, and so it makes ending their life especially difficult, as this may be all they get. Whatever kindness or joy we may be able to afford them may just be all the there is for them, I just don't know. I do know that many times for me to allow them to continue to suffer would have been more inhumane than to end it (in my eyes any way). Which also leads me to reflect on the fact that God has not yet chosen to end the suffering of His creation when it is in His power to do so? That is a whole other subject   I know my hands are bloody and I will have to  give an account of every drop I have spilled.

[repottinger]

Thank you for your comment about the lack of examples of anyone in the Scriptures ever praying for animals, John; it's an interesting subject--one that I had never even considered.
Randy

[octoberose]

Hi JFK,
There are actually quite a few verses I had not considered until recently.
Ps 36:6  Your righteousness is like the mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals  alike.
Proverbs 12:10  Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap not gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Ps 145:9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
Job 12:7-10 But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and they will teach you: and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
Luke 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Psalm 50: 10-12 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
Psalm 145:15-16 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand: you satisfy the desire of  every  living thing

So, I guess what I think, and lauriellen expressed  her sense of responsibility very well, that animals are entrusted to us and they, along with us are God's creation. God knows that we will not be dispassionate about any creature we have a bond with. ( my opinion )  And if I'm anxious about Anything, I am invited to pray. And if I have any lack of anything, I am reminded to pray.
Animals are important in God's view because  they are His creation and because  they were 'worthy' to be sacrificed for sin (they could not measure up but they were the ones being sacrificed ) and the entire reason Noah spent all  that time building that ark was because of the enormity of the thing due to the animals God was saving.

On a personal note, we took Scout to her favorite place and she waded into a brook and said hello to people. Then we went on a drive with the dogs snuggled up in the backseat. So bitter sweet. When she 'goes to sleep' I'm going to ask my husband to call our son so they can deal with this together. Maybe an opportunity for Nathan to see his father's vulnerability.  I'm praying God uses this for good.
  Thanks for remembering us.

[repottinger]

Thank you for all of the wonderful scriptures you shared, Rose; I'm very happy to hear that you had such a positive experience with Scout, and I'll continue to pray that God will work this together for the good of all of your family.
Sincerely,
Randy

[cjwood]

i truly feel the pain of your heartache.  one month ago yesterday i had to make the most difficult decision i have had to make, and have my 12 yr old boxer/lab mix, named sheffield wednesday, put to sleep.  she was diagnosed with lymphoma at the end of february.  she was my constant companion, going on almost all of my daily errands, receiving treats at walgreens, sonic, and wells fargo.  i miss her more than i thought i could ever miss an animal.  i had her cremated and her remains were scattered in the hill country around austin.  i still cry easily just thinking about her. 

i will say a prayer for all of you to find some sort of comfort in the memories you have of your scout.

love,
claudia

[octoberose]

Well, we put her to sleep today. It was so quick-  but she had suffered for the past few weeks and we just couldn't watch that anymore since we knew there would never be a good outcome. I told my husband I felt like God today in that I was deciding when someone dies -in a doggy, master kind of way- go with me here. I really thought for the first time that watching us all die every day is not easy on God. This one then this one, and so on and so on.  Jesus grieved when Lazarus died because of the grief of his sisters, even though he knew he was about to raise him.  I wonder if this death thing isn't actually a sadness for the Creator of All. The last enemy to be defeated is death, after all. God calls it an enemy. Anyway, it was a strange thing knowing that an animal is walking around one minute and you've had her put down the next and it got me wondering.
Claudia, I send my sympathies. What a great name- Sheffield. I was just in Austin two weeks ago. Maybe one day we'll meet. 

[Extol]

I pray for your comfort, Rose. In all my life, the death that made me cry the most was the death of one of my chickens. Yes, a chicken. (Her name was Tater-Tot.) A few years ago I would have thought that silly, but I married a farm girl and that's what it did to me.    Remember that Scout is at peace and no longer suffering, and hopefully that will bring you comfort.

[Kat]

Hi rose, I sure can sympathize with your lose. I had 2 labs, they were older and last year one got diagnosed with cancer and died within a few months and the other died later that year. Certainly we fell the lose of a companion that our pets become. God has blessed us so to be able to form such a strong bond with even the animal world, it can add a whole other dimension of enjoyment to this life, as we do come to love those them.

I never cease to be amazed at all the wonders around us, all these things are for our benefit, one way or another, now in the physical. Yes we have to go through an adjustment to the lose/absences that death creates and the changed situation and I guess grief is the process of accepting what has happened. God has blessed us there as well, we don't forget them, but we can move on.

I wonder if this death thing isn't actually a sadness for the Creator of All.

I thought about what you said there and I don't think He sees death the same way that we do, it seems God is way beyond us in apprehension of this death thing. As this creation is a temporary physical experience and was made for us (not us for it) and we need it. So our beloved pets are gone, but not forgotten, though I do not see them as being in the plan of salvation, therefore no resurrection.

But at least with a humans death God has a view so much more expanded than ours. Time is an element of this creation and is a way to register going forward, Ray had an interesting study on that (http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,10538.0.html)... but for a Being that has lived who knows how many billions of years, passage of time must be different. 

2Peter 3:8  But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[repottinger]

I'm sorry for your loss, Rose. As Extol said, hopefully, at least in time, you'll be comforted by knowing that his suffering is over. I know that I feel that way about animals as well as humans, probably because I know (as the rest of us do) about the future glory to come for us all. As Kat said, I don't think there's any scriptural support for the resurrection of animals, but it's obvious that in Scout's case, she has served God's purpose for her well.
I'll continue to pray for you and your family's comfort as well.
Your brother in Christ,
Randy

[octoberose]

Thank you all-you've been really kind.
I would think the same thing Kat, that God has the whole view and not just our present so that changes things for Him. But Jesus did cry at the grief of a death and that just speaks to me.
God is much more tender than I usually give him credit for-
I have always maintained that animals have no soul and Jesus did not die for them- a view I still hold. But they have a spirit, from their Creator, and I'm wondering what the implications of that are... I am now open to the possibility of something more.  It's not a belief- just a question we will find out in time.
I loved your comment Extol. A chicken? That just makes me smile.