How dogs can teach us to be better human beings!

For those of you who are cable subscribers, you may be familiar with a show titled “Animal Planet.” That
It features all things fin, gross, mammal, and reptile. One of the featured programs on the web is Animal.
Enclosure. This is the mammalian version of the “Cops” program. Cameramen travel with law enforcement officials who are responsible for enforcing animal cruelty laws.

And, like police officers, they have the power to arrest and detain people who do not meet the requirements for the proper care and feeding of the animals in their charge. The punishment can range from fines to several years behind bars. Some examples of “man’s inhumanity to animals” showed officers breaking through a Pitbull fighting ring.

A New York man who starved his Rot Weiller to death. More acts of repulsive human behavior
involved an individual who beat a German shepherd to death with a tree stump. The program is sometimes difficult to watch. I am filled with excitement every time they encounter another starving and abused animal.

I don’t think I can compose myself with the calm and professionalism that officers show when faced with a criminal. I do not bear fools lightly when it comes to the abuse of animals.
The only pleasure I can get from the program can be summed up in one word: hope! Most “creature characteristics” responded to medical care, or were adopted by people who could give them the love and attention they deserve.

Take the case of a Cocker Spaniel, who was given the name “Maggie” by one of the officers. Maggie was found
tied to a pole in a New York City neighborhood in the middle of winter. Upon closer inspection, it was
he discovered that his left eye had swollen to the size of a golf ball.

When they took her to the vet, they found that the eye could not be saved and had to be
remote. To add insult to injury, he also had cancerous tumors in his stomach. One would think that with only one eye and major surgery, Maggie would not be an ideal candidate for adoption. But this is a story with a much happier ending than you might think. A Manhattan woman adopted the dog, not just for herself, but as a companion to another dog she also owned.

He mentioned that Maggie, renamed “Honey,” was very kind and caring despite her ordeal.
It made me think of a Rudyard Kipling quote.

“There is no faith that has ever been broken except that of a truly faithful dog.” Rudyard Kipling ..

Honey’s plight also served as something of an epiphany. Even though this dog had been through the worst,
he still sought the approval and affection of his human counterparts. I also realized how these innocent creatures should remind us of a simple Bible lesson. “Forgive those who have offended us.”

As human beings, we should have an infinite capacity to grant absolution. I realize that some of us have experienced trauma in our lives that has caused our ability to forgive to be permanently “broken”. However, most of us will never experience such trauma, nor will we endure the kind of physical cruelty that
some animals go through it daily.

However, a simple misunderstanding between friends or family can leave us cut off from them for months, and sometimes even years. Our pride can prevent us from offering a simple apology. Our jealousy can make us sick with someone sent for someone else’s good fortune. Our human weaknesses are endless.

I think of my own dog and how modest he is in his day to day life. She doesn’t hold a grudge
He doesn’t care how much money you have, or what car you drive. She is always happy to go for a walk and
He’s never ashamed to be seen with me! If only we could be so free and forgiving. Our pride and prejudices go by the wayside, we could improve our relationships with people and forgive the imperfections of others.

We could all learn a lot from a truly faithful dog.